Green and Grey
by Munkchunk
Summary: My first fanfiction. Bad summary. It starts back at book one and follows a more broken and abused Harry though Hogwarts as a Slytherin. Trigger warnings include detailed child abuse, depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. Honestly it's probably a hot mess but could really use the feedback if you have the time. No pairings right now.
1. Chapter One

"Freak!" Uncle Vernon roared dragging ten-year-old Harry Potter by his hair out of the kitchen. Harry cried out in pain grabbing his uncle's meaty wrist trying to relieve some of the agony on his scalp. His legs kicked and jerked, trying to get some footing. Vernon shoved him hard into a small cupboard under the stairs and Harry's already throbbing head made a sickening _THUNK _against the wall. He saw bright spots in his vision as the large man slammed the door shut making the wall rattle. Harry blinked for a few moments before coming back to his senses

"Please uncle!" Harry protested moving to his knees with his shaky hands pressed against the cupboard door. He didn't dare bang against the door. He didn't want to cause himself further punishment, but he needed them to understand he didn't mean it.

"I didn't do anything it just happened! Please uncle..." It wasn't the first time this had happened, after all Harry was a freak. No matter how badly the boy tried he could never be as normal as his aunt and uncle wanted him to be.

He had been in the kitchen scrubbing the floors to the level of cleanliness his Aunt Petunia demanded. Harry knew he wasn't going to be fed until he had finished the rather long list of chores his uncle had given him that morning. He hadn't finished the list he had received yesterday, or the day before, and he was very hungry. It felt like there was a big rock sitting uncomfortably heavy in his stomach. He stood up to inspect is work and, weak from hunger, stumbled against the counter knocking over his aunt's favorite flower vase. Harry jerked forward trying to catch it but it slipped through his finger and hit the floor with a loud _CRASH,_ and Harry winced watching the porcelain shattered.

His aunt started shrieking immediately, making her way to the kitchen to inspect the source of the sound he had caused. Harry knew he would be punished for this. He was most likely going to be locked away in his cupboard where he couldn't do anymore damage and it was unlikely; he was going to get anything to eat today. Tears prickled behind his eyes and he wished desperately that he had superpowers. If he did, he could just go back in time before he knocked it over and save the vase or if he had super speed, he could fix the vase before his aunt made it to the kitchen. Harry sighed and wished even harder that the vase would just fix itself, he was already so hungry.

Aunt Petunia's shrieks became screams as she rounded the corner and saw the porcelain pieces building themselves back into an unmarked vase. The only remaining evidence that it had been broken at all was a puddle of water and the magenta petunias, that Vernon had gifted her last night, scattered over the floor.

"Vernon! Vernon! Come quickly!" She screeched over her shoulder. Harry was staring at the vase dumbfounded. This was significantly worse than the broken vase. His head snapped up as he heard Vernon making his way into the kitchen. Panicked, Harry made to run to his cupboard on his own but Aunt Petunia was faster. She snatched him by his ear twisting it painfully making Harry scrunch up his face in pain.

"Oh no you don't!" she snapped at him, "you're not going anywhere, you nasty little freak!" Harry was standing on his tippy toes to ease the pain in his ear. Vernon lumbered into the kitchen his footsteps heavy, he looked upset about being pulled away from whatever he had been doing in the sitting room.

"What has he done now dear?" He asked looking down disapprovingly at him. Petunia motioned down to the vase on the floor keeping a safe distance from it. Harry kept his eyes lowered and swallowed hard.

"He broke my favorite vase," she said before looking around to make sure no neighbors were eavesdropping and whispered, "Then he fixed it." she shuddered taking another step back from the vase as if it were some horrid creature that might start to snap at her. Vernon stared at the vase for moment his face growing red with anger. His eyes flicked to Harry, his expression was full of hatred and loathing. Harry winced inwardly under the harsh gaze. His heart was thumping hard in his chest, why couldn't he just be normal?

"Well boy?" he spat venomously, "What do you have to say for yourself?" Harry kept his eyes glued to the floor in a desperate attempt to keep his uncle from becoming any angrier.

"I didn't do anything..." He said quietly, "It just happened on its own... I swear it was just like mag-" Petunia hissed her eyes flying wide and Vernon slapped him hard in the face knocking him out of Petunia's grip and onto the floor. Harry closed his eyes mentally berating himself for his stupidity in almost saying the forbidden word. That's when Uncle Vernon had snatched him up by his hair and thrown him into the cupboard under the stairs.

Harry sighed miserably as he pressed his forehead against the door trying to ignore the rock in his stomach. As the adrenaline wore off his hunger pains returned. Why couldn't he just be normal? Why was he such a freak? Why? Why? Why? He blinked rapidly trying to stop the tears from falling. They wouldn't help. He could hear his aunt and uncle whispering he pressed his ear to the slot on his door trying to pick up their conversation.

"...almost 11..." He caught from his aunt, there was silence and then a huff from his uncle.

"We'll just have to try harder." He said and Harry moved back quickly from the door as he heard his uncle's footsteps. He wasn't eager to be caught eavesdropping. His uncle yanked the door open and Harry shrank back further into his cupboard. This was not normal. Once in the cupboard, Harry was normally ignored and forgotten. His uncle grabbed his baggy shirt and dragged Harry back out of cupboard. Harry struggled uncharacteristically for a moment (struggling always made it worse), before being savagely punched in the stomach.

"Enough!" His uncle roared angrily. He got a bruising grip on the small boy's arm and dragged him into the living room. Harry stumbled along mindlessly with him; his brain was busy. It was still focused on trying to breathe again after having the air knocked out of him. Dudley looked up from the TV and grinned at the pair. The large boy loved to see his cousin get yelled at and slapped around by his father. The only thing he enjoyed more, was pushing Harry around himself. The small boy had finally found his lungs again and had made a loud gasping noise as he sucked in air greedily.

Vernon shoved Harry on the floor. The raven-haired boy threw out his arms to catch himself and felt a sharp pain run up his right arm. He rolled over quickly looking up at his uncle and cradling his injured arm. Harry's mind was racing and his adrenaline pumping again. He wanted to flee from his uncle's hateful gaze, he wanted to hide in his cupboard until this storm passed.

"You ungrateful wretch!" Vernon yelled his face turning purple with anger. "We take you in, we feed you, we give you the clothes off our backs, and you dare disrespect us?" Harry sat up on his knees quickly, his whole-body trembling. He gave his uncle a pleading look and opened his mouth to speak, to apologize for being such an ungrateful freak, to tell him understood and appreciated the many sacrifices his relatives had given for him, and to promise he would try even harder to be the normal child they asked him to be. Uncle Vernon punched him hard in the face before he could get a word of it out.

Harry could taste his own blood as the soft flesh of his mouth tore against his teeth. His eyes fell to the floor and he closed his mouth. Vernon stripped off his belt and glared down at Harry. The young boy squeezed his eyes shut as fear gripped his heart. He had been hit with his uncles' belt before but the panic sensation when faced with it never lessened.

The first time he had been belted was when he was 6 years old. A teacher had sent him home with canned good for his family over the holidays after the school's food drive. The teacher had believed Harry's family was poor and in need of assistance based on Harrys appearance. The Dursley's took it as massive insult and Harry had been given 10 lashes with his uncle's belt.

Harry had been denied food for a whole week after that, (this was the punishment he received most often), and ended up getting really sick. His aunt and uncle had not been the least bit concerned. They had even made him feel guilty for ruining Dudley's Christmas. Harry was left alone to take care of himself the best he could. He got better as the holidays ended and when they returned to school, he was ordered to return the cans to the teacher with an apology for his lies and attention seeking behavior. After that, Harry had never let any teacher get the wrong impression about his home situation again. He even went out of his way to express that he was a problem child who was lucky to have such loving relatives to take him in.

Harry had endured several more beatings over the years, they were always his own fault. Harry was a freak after all and weird things happened to him. He never intended for these things to happen; they just did. This was never an acceptable explanation for his aunt and uncle though and after each one of these events Harry got a taste of his uncle's belt. Harry knew they were just trying to help him be normal and he wished he was better at it.

"Take off your shirt and turn around." Uncle Vernon commanded bringing Harry back to his current situation. "I'll straighten you out, you pathetic freak." A cold clammy feeling settled in his gut as Harry did as his uncle asked. The small boy turned around facing Dudley's horridly gleaming face, his eyes filled with tears of shame as he understood his punishment would be witnessed. His body tensed waiting for the first blow, his hands curled into fists in his lap as he screwed his eyes shut. There was a _whoosh _of the belt cutting through the air and a loud _WACK _as it made contact with Harry's skin. Pain erupted from the boys back and all other aches were quickly forgotten as his brain zeroed in on the new horrible sensation. Harry grit his teeth and small whimper escaped his lips as he was whipped again.

After five blows, Harry was leaning forward with his shaky arms helping him keep upright crying out with each hit. After ten strikes his arms gave out and fell further forward, his sweaty forehead pressed against the rough fabric of the rug beneath him crying freely. Uncle Vernon struck him repeatedly, with great force, and Harry quickly lost count of how many lashes he had taken. Uncle Vernon was yelling at him but he was only making out bits and pieces as sobs wracked his body.

"...you deserve to be punished freak...!"

"...never would have happened if you just behaved like a normal boy...!"

"...look what you make me do! ..."

Harry knew and fully accepted that this was his own fault.

Harry's legs gave out and he fell onto his side after a particular savage strike that hit his ribs with the buckle. Harry was weeping loudly but he could still make out Dudley's squeals of glee. His uncle began to lose control hitting him as hard as he could over and over in a rapid-fire display Harry wouldn't have believed possible of the large man. Harry curled up, his arms instinctively wrapping around his head to protect it. He wasn't sure if this had angered his uncle further or if his anger had just pushed him past any resemblance of control but his uncle foot kicked out and struck Harry viciously in his stomach knocking the wind from him again. The small boy blacked out before he could get his breath back.

Harry awoke in his cupboard up against the wall having clearly been tossed in when his uncle finished with him. He tried to sit up and let out a pained cry as his body's aches and pains rushed back to him. He covered his mouth quickly cutting off the sound and even more pain wracked his body from the sudden movement. He gritted his teeth; he didn't know what time it was and didn't want to risk his uncle's wrath if he was woken.

The small boy had never felt this much pain in his entire life. He wanted it to end, he wished his uncle had killed him. The large man had obviously wanted to. Strangely, the thought didn't make him sad or scared. Maybe if he had been successful Harry would have found peace. No, he decided, death was not something to be feared but to be welcomed. The beaten broken boy knew dying would be the only good thing he would ever do. Harry gingerly rolled over onto his stomach which had received slightly less injury. His entire body ached and throbbed with his heartbeat, his whole back felt hot and some spots felt wet. Each breath he took was painful, tears spilled down his face as exhaustion took over and he fell into an uncomfortable sleep plagued by nightmares.


	2. Chapter Two

_**A/N I copied the letter I didn't create it and I don't own anything. Thank you XenasBell and rebecca-in-blue for reviewing my story I really appreciate the input. **_

The next month, while it has started out very painful, was very peaceful for Harry. As he healed, he was not bothered with chores or cooking. His aunt stopped by every few hours to toss in some bread and water. She also let him out to use the bathroom. He was so weak at first that he couldn't move and his aunt had to help him as she refused to let him soil her cupboard. She wasn't kind or gentle and if he made too much noise, she would pinch his arms hard. Still he was grateful for her help and after the first week was able to move on his own again. That whole month he had a steady meal once a day which is more than he'd really had before. Harry doubled down on his effort to be normal. He didn't want to be a burden on his aunt and uncle, he understood how much they gave up to take him in. No one else wanted him and without them he would be on the streets.

Nearing the end of July, Harry was back doing his chores and the cooking. After the last beating Harry worked even harder to make sure he always finished his list of chores and had therefore had almost continuous meals at night. There had still been a several nights he had been sent to bed hungry either because Dudley complained about Harry eating all the food or because Aunt Petunia told him he was getting too fat and greedy. Harry never complained, the near regular meals had given him the strength to keep up on everything and his aunt and uncle had left him alone.

The last week of July rolled around and Harry, having just finished cooking breakfast, went to collect the mail as it arrived. He picked up the mail and squinted to read the letter on top.

Mr. H. Potter,

The Cupboard under the Stairs,

4 Privet Drive,

Little Whinging,

Surrey.

Harry's eyes got wide his breathing became rapid. If his aunt and uncle saw the letter he would surely be beaten again and he had been doing so good. He also knew if he hid the letter and was discovered he risked an even worse punishment. Harry bit his lip having an internal argument before he slipped the letter into his cupboard silently vowing to get rid of it as soon as possible without even opening it. He took the rest of the mail to Uncle Vernon and began working on his chores.

He didn't have a chance to get to his cupboard until after his evening meal and his chores were done. His aunt locked him in for the night before going upstairs. Harry pulled out the letter looking at it. He had never received a letter before and he desperately wanted to open it. His fear of his uncle's reaction if he found out that he had not only hid the letter but read it caused Harry to hesitate. Harry knew he wouldn't be able to sleep with the letter unopened. Well after Vernon's snores could be heard Harry finally gathered the courage to open the letter. The process was agonizingly slow as he didn't want any sound to be heard that could wake his relatives. After what felt like an hour, he slipped the paper out from the envelope. He covered up the door of his cupboard with his blanket, being sure to cover any crack that light could escape from before daring to turn on the light so he could read it.

_HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY_

_Dear Mr. Harry Potter, _

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

_Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Deputy Headmistress_

_Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore_

_(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)_

_HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY_

_UNIFORM_

_First-year students will require:_

_1\. Three sets of plain work robes (black)_  
_2\. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear_  
_3\. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)_  
_4\. One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)_

_Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags._

_COURSE BOOKS_

_All students should have a copy of each of the following:_

_The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)_

_by Miranda Goshawk_

_A History of Magic_

_by Bathilda Bagshot_

_Magical Theory_

_by Adalbert Waffling_

_A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration_

_by Emeric Switch_

_One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_

_by Phyllida Spore_

_Magical Drafts and Potions_

_by Arsenius Jigger_

_Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_

_by Newt Scamander_

_The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection_

_by Quentin Trimble_

_OTHER EQUIPMENT_

_1 wand_

_1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)_

_1 set glass or crystal phials_

_1 telescope_

_1 set brass scales_

_Students may also bring, if they desire, an owl OR a cat OR a toad._

_PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICK_

_Yours sincerely,_

_Lucinda Thomsonicle-Pocus_

_Chief Attendant of Witchcraft Provisions _

Harry read through the letter five times before he sat back frowning. It wasn't real, that much he was sure of, but Harry couldn't understand why someone would send it to him. Harry didn't really know anyone or have any friends who could play a joke on him. He didn't know of anyone who knew he slept under the stairs. He put the letter back in the envelope and considered who could have sent it. He wondered if it had been Dudley purposefully trying to get him in trouble with Uncle Vernon. He snorted a little and dismissed the thought, Dudley wasn't smart enough to have written that letter. Then a horrific thought struck him. What if it was a test from his uncle? What if he was meant to find it and come clean to his uncle to avoid punishment. He panickily tucked the letter under his pillow and turned off the light before moving the blanket away from the door. He stared at the door for over an hour waiting for his uncle to come and drag him out. He finally decided that it was unlikely his uncle had written the letter either, he couldn't even stand to hear the m-word let alone use it himself. Harry decided he would dispose of the letter tomorrow during his chores and pretend it never happened. He laid down to catch a few hours of restless sleep.

When Harry went to gather the mail the next morning, he was dismayed to find three more letters like the first. He quickly tucked them into his pants with the original letter and covered them with his shirt before taking the remaining mail to Uncle Vernon. He went outside to start his chores; the list was long and he wanted to finish anything that needed to be done outside before the day got too hot. Harry was potting the new flowers Aunt Petunia had purchased the day before and took the opportunity to quickly bury the letters

He stood and wiped his hands on his pants breathing a sigh of relief at having gotten rid of the letters. He only hoped more letters would not arrive and further jeopardize his already shaky relationship with his aunt and uncle. Harry finished his chores again today got his meal and was laying in his cupboard staring at the ceiling. He couldn't stop thinking about the letters. What if it was real, what if it was all real? What if Harry really was a wizard, it would certainly explain the weird things that happened to him. He was torn between hopeful excitement and fearful despair. As much as he wished it was real, he wished even more that he wouldn't get anymore letters. Even if by some miracle it was real there was still no chance he was ever going to get to go to this school. It was probably really expensive and he couldn't ask his relatives to waste it on a freak like him. Outside of the cost for school there was a massive list of supplies he would need as well, there was just no way. Even more so he knew a school of witchcraft and wizardry didn't fall in the realms of normal that his aunt and uncle strived so hard for. He shook his head, getting no letters was safer.

Unfortunately, to Harrys horror, there were 12 letters waiting for him when he went to get the mail the next morning. Harry tossed them into his cupboard hurriedly and tried to take some deep breaths in an attempt to squash the panic rising in his chest. He probably wouldn't get a chance to dispose them today but if the amount continued to increase it was unlikely, he would be able to hide them for much longer. He handed his uncle the rest of the mail and started the laundry. He contemplated telling his aunt and uncle the truth, maybe it would soften the blow as opposed to them finding out themselves. Harry knew it was too late for that, if it would have mattered at all; he was going to get in trouble for hiding the letters on top of them being so strange. He was so distracted by the letters and the fear of them being discovered that Harry did not finish his chores in time and was sent to his cupboard with no dinner.

Saturday rolled around and sure enough there were 24 letters waiting for him when the mail came. He hurriedly shoved these into his cupboard with the others. He wasn't sure how he was going to get rid of them all if more kept coming. Harry was growing to resent the letters; they were all he could think about. This was causing him to wander from one chore to the next distractedly, he was clumsy and made mistakes all throughout the day. This landed him back in his cupboard sporting several new bruises from his uncle's anger and no dinner.

It was Sunday and Harry was breathing a little easier today. There was no post on Sundays and so he didn't have to worry about the letters today. He was cheerfully cooking breakfast, even his growling stomach and hunger pains couldn't damper his spirits. After breakfast he scrubbed the kitchen floors contemplating how to get rid of the letters when his aunt, uncle, and cousin started yelling from the sitting room. Harry quickly got to his feet slipping slightly on the wet floor before rushing to the sitting room. To the small boy's horror, he found letter pouring into the room from the fireplace. His relatives were huddled together arms over their heads trying to stop the onslaught. In his panic, Harry started grabbing armfuls of letters tossing them into the hall where is cupboard was. His uncle snatched him by his arm slamming him painfully against the wall.

"What have you done now boy?" he shouted in his face as the flow of letters finally stopped. Harry shook his head tearing up apologizing repeatedly. His uncle grabbed up one of the letters and his face drained of colour as he read the front of the envelope.

"P-p-petunia," his hands shook and he turned to look at his wife. She was standing still looking just as devoid of colour as Uncle Vernon with a letter in her hands. Dudley, having recovered from his fear, picked up one of the letters and read the front. He looked up at Harry confused.

"Who's writing to the freak?" he asked, Petunia looked down at her son holding one of the letters. She finally seemed to snap out of whatever thought she was having and screamed slapping the letter out of Dudley's hands. Dudley looked horror stuck that his mother had hit him.

"No! Don't touch those! Out! Get out! Go watch tv in the kitchen." she said breathlessly. Dudley looked even more stunned that his mother had yelled at him and walked stiffly out of the room. Petunia moved quickly to her husband's side glaring down at Harry. Harry trembled tears rolling down his face silently.

_FREAK! FREAK! FREAK! FREAK! FREAK! _Harrys mind was screaming at him. Fear was rolling through his body in waves. Why hadn't he just told the truth? If he had told the truth it never would have gotten to this point. He knew he was going to be in trouble for not only the letters and the lying, but also for the fireplace spitting them out all over the sitting room. It was like the strangeness he tried to keep buried deep inside had exploded all over his aunt and uncles' ordinary house. No matter how hard he tried, this was always the result. His weirdness ruining his relative's normality.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I tried I really tried I swear I did... but they just kept coming." Harry said sobbing, his uncle slapped him hard and he grew quiet. His cheek felt hot and throbbed in the silence that followed.

"Did you open one?" Asked Aunt Petunia staring hard down at the address on the letter. Harry nodded, and she sneered at him. "I bet you think you're something special getting a letter from some freak school." Harry shook his head instinctively; no, he knew he was not special not at all. Harry's mind was overrun with emotion but somehow, he couldn't help noticing that his aunt and uncle weren't dismissing this as some prank like he had expected. Was it possible the school actually existed? Harry's confusion or maybe hopefulness must have shown on his face because his uncle slapped him hard again knocking his head against the wall. Harry blinked away spots in his vision and resisted the urge to rub his sore cheek or head.

"What do we do Vernon?" Asked Petunia shakily, "This address how could they know where he's sleeping?"

"Watching us probably," Grumbled Vernon looking around at the mess of letter scattering the sitting room. "Clean this all up boy then get back in your cupboard and stay there." he said sharply. Harry nodded quickly as relief flooded his mind, his uncle wasn't going to beat him.

"Yes uncle, thank you uncle," Harry said ducking under his arm to get started. His uncle tripped him and used the chance to send a kick to his ribs. Harry didn't complain he scrambled to his feet holding his ribs and began gathering the blasted letters from all over the sitting room. He was stuffing them in trash bags as his relatives murmured to each other in the corner. He worked quietly hoping to not disturb his aunt and uncle any further. Could someone be watching them? Harry found the idea very sad. Whoever was sending these letters knew he slept in a cupboard, what else did they know? Harry felt great shame at the idea that someone had seen every mistake he had made, every punishment he endured. He took the letters out to the trash and went to his cupboard to lay down rubbing his bruised ribs. The pain in his ribs was distracting him from the hunger in his stomach, and Harry was mildly grateful for it.

When Harry awoke, he did not get up and start breakfast as he would normally do. His uncle had told him to stay in the cupboard and he would not risk further angering him by assuming that only meant through the rest of Sunday. He heard the Dursley's get up and get breakfast. The smells from the kitchen was causing his stomach to growl loudly and Harry winced trying to ignore it. He laid quietly and was startled out of his thoughts when he heard the doorbell ring. There was silence in the kitchen for a moment too before Harry could hear his uncle moving down the hall past his cupboard. He opened the door and Harry could hear the mail man.

"Is there a Harry Potter here? I have almost 100 letters for him." He said and Uncle Vernon answered him quickly.

"No, send them back where ever they came from." Vernon did not wait for a reply, he slammed the door and stomped back to the kitchen. Harry closed his eyes and pressed the heels of his hands against them in an attempt to stop himself from crying. Why? Why couldn't who ever this was just stop? Couldn't they see the trouble they were causing? Was that the purpose of all this? Was someone trying to get him in trouble? He sobbed softly at the thought, and quickly covered his mouth. The last thing he needed was to draw Uncle Vernon's attention. Later that night his aunt let him out of his cupboard to use the bathroom. On his way back to his cupboard he stopped noticing the date on the calendar. His aunt grabbed him by the ear twisting it painfully. She complained about him taking too long and dragged him down the hall before shoving him into his cupboard, locking him in. In a few hours he would be 11 years old. Harry stayed up until the clock in the sitting room chimed twelve times. He sighed softly,

"Happy birthday Harry..." He whispered. He laid down his stomach, the pressure helping the rock in his stomach from getting any bigger, and fell asleep.

_**A/N Thanks for reading this chapter. Drop me a review if you have the time. I promise the next chapter will be a bit lighter.**_


	3. Chapter Three

_**A/N Sorry for the long wait, I've been rewriting Chapter 4 and I wanted to make sure I didn't contradict anything in this Chapter before I released it. This chapter is longer because I used some stuff directly from the book. I don't own anything. Some of the scenes I really like how they play out and couldn't change them. Thanks, XenasBell for reviewing my last chapter!**_

In the morning, after the post came and went without incident, Uncle Vernon let Harry out of his cupboard to complete some chores. Harry didn't speak, he kept his head down determined to finish the list today in hopes of getting some food that night. Harry was changing the bed sheets in his cousins' room when he heard the doorbell ring. He froze up and held his breath hoping it wasn't the post. He could hear voices downstairs but they were quiet, he didn't hear any yelling.

_That's a good sign, _he thought to himself. His breathing had kicked back in and he moved closer to the door to see if he could hear anything. He was startled when Uncle Vernon pushed the door open and grabbed him by his collar. Harrys eyes flew wide in surprise and his mouth opened to let out a string of apologies for whatever had occurred downstairs but his uncle was faster.

"You're leaving with the man downstairs, you don't speak to him about your life here, you don't ask questions, you just do as your told. Do you understand me?" Harry nodded rapidly in understanding. His uncle shoved him hard knocking him to the floor and left the room without him. Harry waited a moment before standing up and following him down the stairs and into the sitting room where a strange old man was waiting. He was tall and wearing a long robe that was purple with big silvers stars on it and a hat to match. This was not the type of man he would have ever expected to see in his uncle's house. This man radiated weirdness. He smiled down at Harry his eyes twinkling behind his halfmoon spectacles.

"There you are Harry," he held out his hand to Harry who took it lightly shaking it. "I am Headmaster Dumbledore from Hogwarts. I understand there was some confusion about whether or not you had gotten your letter. I apologize for the trouble it sounds like it caused. I am here to escort you to Diagon Alley where we will get all of your things for the upcoming school year." Harry just nodded dumbfounded; Dumbledore kept on smiling. The old man turned to look at his uncle.

"I'll have him back before nightfall," He said cheerfully, but Uncle Vernon looked up sharply.

"I thought you said he would only be coming back in the summer." His uncle said,

"Well, yes but there is still a month before school starts, he will have to come back here for that month before he can head off to school." Dumbledore stately firmly, his uncle grumbled but nodded. "Come now Harry, we have a long day ahead of us." Harry followed the man out of the house staying quiet as his uncle had ordered him to. His mind was racing. He was going to get to go to the magic school? He hadn't thought it possible. Were his relatives paying for it? He couldn't imagine, they already sacrificed so much for him. The man walked down the street with Harry in tow, they got a few odd looks but Harry kept his head down. He still didn't understand the rapid change of events, but he didn't dare ask questions. They turned down an empty street and the old man held out his arm for Harry.

"Take my arm, tightly now" He said and Harry grabbed it with both hands holding on tightly as he felt the arm nearly tear out of his grip. Everything went dark and he got the horrid sensation of being pushed through a small tube, squeezed hard in every direction, he couldn't even breathe. It only lasted a few moments and when Harry opened his eyes again, he was stunned. He let go of Dumbledore's arm and looked around. He could see brightly colored shops and lots of people walking around dressed like the Headmaster, though most were less eccentric. The sun shone brightly on a stack of cauldrons outside the nearest shop. _Cauldrons – All Sizes – Copper, Brass, Pewter, Silver – Self-Stirring – Collapsible_ said a sign hanging over them. Harry wished he had about eight more eyes. He turned his head in every direction, trying to look at everything at once: the shops, the things outside them, the people doing their shopping.

"Come along Harry," The man said and started off, Harry followed quickly.

A plump woman outside an apothecary's was shaking her head as they passed, saying,

"Dragon liver, sixteen Sickles an ounce, they're mad …" A low, soft hooting came from a dark shop with a sign saying _Eeylops Owl Emporium – Tawny, Screech, Barn, Brown and Snowy_. Several boys of about Harry's age had their noses pressed against a window with broomsticks in it. "Look," Harry heard one of them say, "the new Nimbus Two Thousand – fastest ever –" There were shops selling robes, shops selling telescopes and strange silver instruments Harry had never seen before, windows stacked with barrels of bat spleens and eels' eyes, tottering piles of spell books, quills and rolls of parchment, potion bottles, globes of the moon ... Harry's eyes were moving around fast looking at everything he didn't initially notice people staring at him and whispering as they passed by.

As he walked, he began to notice all the attention they were getting and blushed, he tried to smooth his clothes that were clearly out of place. They had reached a snowy-white building which towered over the other little shops. Standing beside its burnished bronze doors, wearing a uniform of scarlet and gold, was – "Try not to stare, Goblins don't like that," said Dumbledore quietly as they walked up the white stone steps towards him. The goblin was about a head shorter than Harry. He had a swarthy, clever face, a pointed beard and, Harry noticed, very long fingers and feet. He bowed as they walked inside. Now they were facing a second pair of doors, silver this time, with words engraved upon them:

_Enter, stranger, but take heed _

_Of what awaits the sin of greed, _

_For those who take, but do not earn, _

_Must pay most dearly in their turn, _

_So, if you seek beneath our floors _

_A treasure that was never yours, _

_Thief, you have been warned, beware_

_Of finding more than treasure there. _

A pair of goblins bowed them through the silver doors and they were in a vast marble hall. About a hundred more goblins were sitting on high stools behind a long counter, scribbling in large ledgers, weighing coins on brass scales, examining precious stones through eyeglasses. There were too many doors to count leading off the hall, and yet more goblins were showing people in and out of these. Dumbledore and Harry made for the counter.

"Good Morning," said Dumbledore to a free goblin. "We've come to collect some funds from Mr. Harry Potter's safe."

"You have his key, sir?" Dumbledore pulled a small gold key out of his pocket and slid it across the counter to the Goblin. The goblin looked at it closely.

"That seems to be in order." said the Goblin, "I will have someone take you down to both vaults. Griphook!"

Griphook was yet another goblin. Dumbledore and Harry followed Griphook towards one of the doors leading off the hall. Griphook held the door open for them. Harry, who had expected more marble, was surprised. They were in a narrow stone passageway lit with flaming torches. It sloped steeply downwards and there were little railway tracks on the floor. Griphook whistled and a small cart came hurtling up the tracks towards them. They climbed in and were off. At first, they just hurtled through a maze of twisting passages. Harry tried to remember, left, right, right, left, middle fork, right, left, but it was impossible. The rattling cart seemed to know its own way, because Griphook wasn't steering. Harry's eyes stung as the cold air rushed past them, but he kept them wide open. They plunged even deeper, passing an underground lake where huge stalactites and stalagmites grew from the ceiling and floor.

The cart stopped at last beside a small door in the passage wall. Griphook unlocked the door. A lot of green smoke came billowing out, and as it cleared, Harry gasped. Inside were mounds of gold coins. Columns of silver. Heaps of little bronze Knuts.

"All yours," smiled Dumbledore. All Harry's – it was incredible. The Dursleys couldn't have known about this, how often had they complained how much Harry cost them to keep? And all the time there had been a small fortune belonging to him, buried deep under London. Harry felt guilty, had it been normal money he would have taken extra to payback his relatives but with the coinage being weird he knew it would just upset them. Dumbledore helped Harry pile some of it into a bag.

"The gold ones are Galleons," he explained. "Seventeen silver Sickles to a Galleon and twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle, it's easy enough."

One wild cart-ride later they stood blinking in the sunlight outside Gringotts. Harry didn't know where to run first now that he had a bag full of money. He didn't have to know how many Galleons there were to a pound to know that he was holding more money than he'd had in his whole life – more money than even Dudley had ever had.

"Now," Said Dumbledore turning to Harry, "I have some business I have to attend to myself." He pulled another one of the horrid letters out of his robes. "Why don't you get started on your list? Meet me at the Leaky Cauldron before the sun sets." He turned and walked back inside Gringotts leaving Harry alone outside. Harry didn't mind, he liked being left to his own devices. He was a little apprehensive about being in a new place but his excitement was stronger. He opened the letter pulling out the list at the back again. The first thing on the list was a uniform he wandered around until he found a shop called _Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. _

Harry entered Madam Malkin's shop alone, feeling nervous. Madam Malkin was a squat, smiling witch dressed all in mauve.

"Hogwarts, dear?" she said, when Harry started to speak. "Got the lot here – another young man being fitted up just now, in fact." In the back of the shop, a boy with a pale, pointed face was standing on a footstool while a second witch pinned up his long black robes. Madam Malkin stood Harry on a stool next to him, slipped a long robe over his head and began to pin it to the right length.

"Hullo," said the boy, "Hogwarts too?"

"Yes," said Harry meekly.

"My father's next door buying my books and mother's up the street looking at wands," said the boy. He had a bored, drawling voice. "Then I'm going to drag them off to look at racing brooms. I don't see why first-years can't have their own. I think I'll bully father into getting me one and I'll smuggle it in somehow." Harry was strongly reminded of Dudley.

"Have you got your own broom?" the boy went on.

"No," said Harry.

"Play Quidditch at all?"

"No," Harry said again, wondering what on earth Quidditch could be.

"I do – Father says it's a crime if I'm not picked to play for my house, and I must say, I agree. Know what house you'll be in yet?"

"No," said Harry, feeling more stupid by the minute.

"Well, no one really knows until they get there, do they, but I know I'll be in Slytherin, all our family have been – imagine being in Hufflepuff, I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?"

"Mmm," said Harry, wishing he could say something a bit more interesting.

"Where are your parents?"

"They're dead," said Harry he said distractedly staring out the window. This was the longest conversation he had ever had with someone outside of his relatives, and it was exhausting. He wanted to make friends and knew this was his first chance but he just felt so stupid talking to him. He was also very hungry he should have stopped to eat first but he had been so excited to get started.

"Oh, sorry," said the other, "But they were our kind, weren't they?" Harry looked at the boy and blinked feeling even more foolish. Uncle Vernon had said not to ask any questions and so he hadn't. He had no idea if both his parents were magic or not. The vault in Gringotts suggested at least one of them was but he didn't know anything outside of that.

"I'm not sure, I didn't know them..." The blonde boy looked over at him frowning

"Well, what's your surname? Maybe I've heard of them" But before Harry could answer, Madam Malkin said,

"That's you done, my dear," and Harry hopped down from the footstool.

"Well, I'll see you at Hogwarts, I suppose," said the drawling boy. Harry waved a goodbye and went to the front room to pay and collect his uniforms. Madam Malkin suggested Harry stop by a neighboring shop and pick out a trunk before purchasing more items to make it easier to carry everything. Harry thanked her quietly and left the shop with his robes. He was starting to get the shakes and knew he needed to get something to eat quickly. He spotted an ice-cream shop and he stepped inside. He kept his head down as he ordered an ice-cream cone and sat outside eating it watching as people passed by. He felt he was getting less looks than when he had been with Headmaster Dumbledore. They must have been curious about why he was with him, suddenly he was glad they had gone their separate ways. This way he didn't have to be stared at the whole day.

Harry finished his ice-cream the sugar rush giving him plenty of energy to keep going, but promised himself he would grab something proper to eat before they had to go back to the Dursley's. He started off to the shop Malkins had suggested and got a trunk he could store his robes in before heading off again, pulling it behind him. He stopped by _Scribbulus Writing Implements_ gather parchment quills and ink. As he was leaving, he spotted the shop called _Quality Quidditch Supplies_. It still had a rather large crowd around the display window but the name caught Harry's attention. He moved closer and spotted the broom stick everyone was staring at. He headed inside and found a book on the basics of quidditch. He didn't want to be so out of touch when he got to Hogwarts.

Harry got his school books in a shop called _Flourish and Blotts_ where the shelves were stacked to the ceiling with books as large as paving stones bound in leather; books the size of postage stamps in covers of silk; books full of peculiar symbols and a few books with nothing in them at all. Even Dudley, who never read anything, would have been wild to get his hands on some of these.

He got his Cauldron and a nice set of scales for weighing potion ingredients and a collapsible brass telescope. Then he visited the apothecary, which was fascinating enough to make up for its horrible smell, a mixture of bad eggs and rotted cabbages. Barrels of slimy stuff stood on the floor, jars of herbs, dried roots and bright powders lined the walls, bundles of feathers, strings of fangs and snarled claws hung from the ceiling. While the man behind the counter was gathering some basic potion ingredients for him, Harry himself examined silver unicorn horns at twenty-one Galleons each and minuscule, glittery black beetle eyes (five Knuts a scoop).

As he neared the end of his list, he found himself in Ollivanders to get a wand. The shop was narrow and shabby. Peeling gold letters over the door read Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 BC. A single wand lay on a faded purple cushion in the dusty window. A tinkling bell rang somewhere in the depths of the shop as he stepped inside. It was a tiny place, empty except for a single spindly chair. Harry felt strangely as though he had entered a very strict library. He looked at the thousands of narrow boxes piled neatly right up to the ceiling. For some reason, the back of his neck prickled. The very dust and silence in here seemed to tingle with some secret magic.

"Good afternoon," said a soft voice. Harry jumped. An old man was standing before him, his wide, pale eyes shining like moons through the gloom of the shop.

"Hello," said Harry awkwardly.

"Ah yes," said the man. "Yes, yes. I thought I'd be seeing you soon. Harry Potter." It wasn't a question. "You have your mother's eyes. It seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work." Mr. Ollivander moved closer to Harry. Harry wished he would blink. Those silvery eyes were a bit unnerving.

"Your father, on the other hand, favoured a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfiguration. Well, I say your father favoured it – it's really the wand that chooses the wizard, of course." Mr. Ollivander had come so close that he and Harry were almost nose to nose. Harry could see himself reflected in those misty eyes. "And that's where …" Mr. Ollivander touched the lightning scar on Harry's forehead with a long, white finger. Harry jerked back startled.

"I'm sorry to say I sold the wand that did it," he said softly. "Thirteen and a half inches. Yew. Powerful wand, very powerful, and in the wrong hands ... Well, if I'd known what that wand was going out into the world to do …" He shook his head; Harry was very confused. He didn't know how his parents had died the Dursleys didn't talk about them at all. He had so many questions he wanted to ask but he stayed quiet. "Well, now – Mr. Potter. Let me see." He pulled a long tape measure with silver markings out of his pocket. "Which is your wand arm?"

"Um – well, I'm right-handed," said Harry hoping that was the right answer.

"Hold out your arm. That's it." He measured Harry from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and round his head. As he measured, he said, "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Mr. Potter. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand."

Harry suddenly realized that the tape measure, which was measuring between his nostrils, was doing this on its own. Mr. Ollivander was flitting around the shelves, taking down boxes. "That will do," he said, and the tape measure crumpled into a heap on the floor. "Right then, Mr. Potter. Try this one. Beechwood and dragon heartstring. Nine inches. Nice and flexible. Just take it and give it a wave." Harry took the wand and (feeling foolish) waved it around a bit, but Mr. Ollivander snatched it out of his hand almost at once.

"Maple and phoenix feather. Seven inches. Quite whippy. Try –" Harry tried – but he had hardly raised the wand when it, too, was snatched back by Mr. Ollivander. "No, no – here, ebony and unicorn hair, eight and a half inches, springy. Go on, go on, try it out." Harry tried. And tried. He had no idea what Mr. Ollivander was waiting for. The pile of tried wands was mounting higher and higher on the spindly chair, but the more wands Mr. Ollivander pulled from the shelves, the happier he seemed to become. "Tricky customer, eh? Not to worry, we'll find the perfect match here somewhere – I wonder, now – yes, why not – unusual combination – holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple." Harry took the wand. He felt a sudden warmth in his fingers. He raised the wand above his head, brought it swishing down through the dusty air and a stream of red and gold sparks shot from the end like a firework, throwing dancing spots of light on to the walls. Mr. Ollivander cried,

"Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed, oh, very good. Well, well, well ... how curious ... how very curious …" He put Harry's wand back into its box and wrapped it in brown paper, still muttering, "Curious ... curious …"

"Sorry" said Harry, he couldn't help himself from asking the question "but what's curious?" Mr. Ollivander fixed Harry with his pale stare.

"I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr. Potter. Every single wand. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather – just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother – why, its brother gave you that scar." Harry swallowed. "Yes, thirteen and a half inches. Yew. Curious indeed how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember ... I think we must expect great things from you, Mr. Potter ... After all, He Who Must Not Be Named did great things – terrible, yes, but great." Harry shivered. He was starting to understand there was more to his parent's death than he had ever imagined. He wasn't sure he liked Mr. Ollivander too much. He paid seven gold Galleons for his wand and Mr. Ollivander bowed him from his shop.

There was one more place Harry wanted to stop before going to the Leaky Cauldron to eat and wait for Dumbledore. Harry stepped into _Magical Menagerie_ and was looking around at all of the animals. There were lots of different types but he spotted the cats, owls, and toads rather easily. Harry was sure they were placed more prominently to catch the eyes of Hogwarts students. While Harry was taking everything in a snow-white owl glided down from one of the perches and landed neatly on his shoulder. She was beautiful with bright amber eyes that watched him thoughtfully and he smiled hurrying to the counter to purchase the owl. A few moments later he was ready to leave the shop with Hedwig, the owl, in a large cage. He had purchased plenty of owl treats and food even though he was told when he got to Hogwarts, she would likely spend most of her time in the owlery with the other owls.

Harry was getting ready to leave when he spotted something further back and it seemed to draw him in. He couldn't explain the feeling but didn't think too much about it. He walked toward the reptile section of the store and got a closer look at what had drawn his eye. Curled up in a tree branch under a warm magic light was a vibrant green snake with white zig zags down its sides looking remarkably like lightning bolts. Harry couldn't help but smile.

"I love your markings," Harry said in a soft whisper, the snake's yellow eye fixed on Harry. His wasn't the only one, many of the snakes had turned towards him as he spoke. He wondered if they were lonely, maybe they didn't get a lot of attention. The green snake moved his head to look at him fully,

"Your colour is beautiful too." He said, the snake's eyes moved from his eyes to his scar.

"We are sssimilar." The snake hissed at him; Harrys smile grew even more. Ever since the fiasco at the zoo when he accidentally set a python on his cousin, he had wanted to know if it was a one-off thing or could he speak to all snakes.

"You understand me?" The snake nodded, "Wow, do you speak to a lot of people."

"No, you are the firssst in a long time." He replied,

"Were you born here?" Harry asked curiously. How long was a long time to a snake?

"No, I wasss drawn here." he hissed softly, "I have been waiting."

"For what?" he asked,

"Ssseemsss like I have been waiting for you." the snake replied and Harry frowned. He couldn't think of any reason a snake would be waiting for him.

"What's your name?" he questioned.

"Ezzzekiel," The snake replied.

"Why are you waiting for me Ezekiel?" Harry asked warily,

"I cannot sssay yet," Ezekiel hissed, "You are the first human to ssseek me out sssince I arrived."

"How long have you been waiting?"

"Eleven yearsss." Harry looked startled, the Ezekiel had been waiting for him since he was born? Was that possible? Was it possible they were meant to meet? Harry nodded once to himself in determination.

"I know the letter says I can only have one pet and snakes aren't on the list but... I would really like you to come with me. Would you like to? We might have to do some sneaking." Ezekiel slid slowly towards Harry and Harry held out a hand for him. The snake slipped up the sleeve of his baggy shirt and curled it way up his arm. It slid across his shoulders and popped its head out the top of his shirt resting against his neck.

Harry smiled and hurried over to the shop keep to purchase him as well. The shop keeper looked a little stunned at Harry and Ezekiel, but rang up the purchase while telling him about the snake.

"He's an Emerald tree boa," he said placing a shrunken down tank into Harrys trunk along with stunned mice in a bag. They like it really warm and humid. The tank has a spelled lid just wave your hand over it and it will produce a warming light and give off the humid habitat he enjoys. You can also use a spell," he handed Harry a small pamphlet on spells for snakes pointing out the one he was suggesting. "You can use it to create a light anywhere he wants to sunbath. They also really enjoy hanging out in trees so this spell," he said pointing to another spell, "this will help you make a sturdy tree branch that will grow out of whatever you desire."

"Thank you," Harry smiled taking the pamphlet and putting it in his pocket before picking up Hedwig in her cage and dragging his trunk behind him heading to the Leaky Cauldron.

Harry entered the Leaky Cauldron and look around for Dumbledore. Ezekiel had retreated into his shirt his head resting again his shoulder absorbing warmth from Harrys skin. Dumbledore wasn't in sight; he had been expecting this. He knew he was early. He sat down at a table sliding the trunk under the it so no one would trip and setting Hedwig's cage on the table. He ordered the cottage pie and a glass of water keeping his head down when to avoid any unwanted attention. The server placed a large serving of cottage pie on the table and Harry wasted no time digging in. It was the first hot meal Harry could remember having in a long time and it was the most delicious thing he had ever tasted. He made sure to eat slowly and drink water in between bites to help stop his stomach from cramping up after having gone several days with no food. Harry couldn't finish the whole meal but he felt happily stuffed. He fed Hedwig bits of a dinner roll served with his meal and took a book out to read while he waited for Dumbledore.

He was skimming through his copy of _Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger_ looking at all the different potions. Out of all the books he felt drawn to this one because it had some resemblance to cooking, something he was quite good at. All the other books were spells and magical creatures, things he knew nothing about and was sure to fail at. Even Herbology, something he originally thought he might succeed in, was full of magical plants. Plants that all had special ways to take care of them, even weeds couldn't just be plucked out. Harrys gardening skills were limited to planting, watering, and weeding. No, potions seemed to be the only class he had any hope of keeping up in.

Headmaster Dumbledore sat across from him while he was reading through the recipe of the Sleeping Draught potion. He quickly closed his book and looked up at the old man.

"Did you find everything you need?" He asked smiling, Harry nodded quickly. "You've been very quiet ever since we departed. Do you have any questions you would like to ask?" Harry opened his mouth and then closed it again, he wanted to ask so many questions but his uncle had ordered him not to. This could be a test; the old man could take him back to his uncle and rat him out for asking questions. Harry decided there was only one question he wanted to ask that he felt was worth any punishment he may receive from his relatives.

"How did my parents die?" he asked softly. Dumbledore looked at him over his halfmoon spectacles.

"I see, you are young and your aunt and uncle must have been worried the truth would only scar you. I hope you don't think less of them. Harry, your parents were murdered by a dark wizard who called himself Lord Voldemort." a hush fell over the pub at the mention of the name but Dumbledore continued as if he didn't notice.

"He tried to murder you too but he failed, that's how you got that scar. You defeated one of the most dangerous wizards that has ever existed when you were only a year old." Harry was staring at Dumbledore, stunned. His relatives never told Harry anything about his parents, just that they were dead. Harry had only asked once what happened to them but the hitting and yelling that followed had scared him off of ever trying again. People were murmuring to each other, some look like they wanted to approach the pair but didn't.

"You'll come to find that you are actually quite famous Harry." Dumbledore looked down at him and said quietly but firmly, "Do not to let it go to your head." Harry quickly lowered his head nodding. He hadn't actually done anything to be famous for he thought to himself. "Do you have any other questions?" Harry shook his head no. "Then I think its best we take our leave." He stood and set some coins on the table for the food before gathering up Harry's things and holding his arm out to him again. Harry held onto it tightly and screwed his eyes shut as they apparated back to Privet Drive.

"You can find your way back home from here, can't you?" Asked Dumbledore handing him the owls cage and trunk as soon as he'd opened his eyes. Harry had barely nodded before Dumbledore continued. "There is a ticket for the Hogwarts express in here. You'll board the train on platform 9 ¾. You can reach the platform by walking through the barrier between platforms 9 and 10." He handed Harry an envelope. "Be at the King's Cross station on the 1st of September. Your uncle has already agreed to give you a ride. See you at Hogwarts Harry." He smiled and turned on the spot disappearing with a loud _CRACK_.

Harry looked around for a moment a little stunned before heading off towards his relative's house. He walked through the front door and quickly put his trunk, Hedwig's cage, and Ezekiel in his cupboard. This last month was going to be a tight fit but he wasn't complaining. He moved into the sitting room to tell his uncle he was home and to see if he was needed for anything. The moment he stepped into the room his uncle was on him. He shoved Harry against the wall yanking his arm up behind his back so hard Harry was sure it was going to snap.

"Look at the freak, walking in here bold as brass. What did you tell the daft old man?" He shouted in Harry's ear. Harry's legs were trembling in fear. The boy had been foolish. He had spent one afternoon on his own buying things he didn't deserve, even splurging on buying two pets. Harry had almost forgotten who he was. A freak who didn't deserve anything but the same pain he caused his relatives.

"Nothing uncle I promise, please we barely spoke at all." Harry pleaded trying to stay still,

"Well, what _did _you talk about?" he asked gruffly. Harry's mind raced back through his day.

"N-nothing he helped me get some coins from the bank and then left me to do my school shopping. I didn't see him again until the end of the day. He told me how my parents died but I didn't tell him anything I swear. Please uncle... Please..." Harry said his eyes tearing up.

"You're parents? You asked him about your parents?" Uncle Vernon yelled angrily shoving Harry's head hard into the wall before letting him fall to the floor. Harry blink back spots trying to stay in the present.

"I'm sorry uncle," Harry said scooting back before sitting on his knees. "The man who sold me my wand said-" Uncle Vernon punched him hard in the face knocking Harry over and eliciting a laugh from Dudley, who Harry hadn't even noticed was there.

"FREAK!" He shouted at him kicking him in the ribs. Harry curled up into a tight ball and tried to protect his head. "I'll not have you spreading that filthy talk in my house!" He said kicking him several more times. "Get in your cupboard you worthless little shit!" Harry scrambled out of the room and crawled into the cupboard closing the door behind him. His uncle came behind him quickly locking him in. Harry curled up in the cramped quarter rubbing his sore ribs crying silently. Hedwig hooted softly and Harry hushed her even more quietly.

"Please, Hedwig you'll get me in trouble." He whispered, Ezekiel slithered up to him curling around his arm and resting his head against Harry's cheek his tongue flicking out.

"You've been hurt," he hissed, Harry shrugged but didn't respond. Harry had been very foolish indeed; he would never let himself forget what a freak he really was ever again. He allowed himself to wallow in self-pity until he heard his uncles snores late into the night. He covered the cupboard door with his blanket again and sat up turning on the light. Ezekiel quickly slithered up his shirt curling around his bruised chest gently, before resting his head on Harry's shoulder. Harry opened his trunk and pulled out his text books reading through them quietly into the early hours of the following day.

_**A/N A bit lighter than the last chapters.**_

_**I changed it up with Dumbledore taking Harry to Diagon Alley. I know he seems a little cruel. I'm not really intending to bash on him I just really prefer to have a much more honest Dumbledore. I personally feel the character is pretty manipulative but hides behind this jolly old man facade. He's the Mayor Adam West of Hogwarts.**_

_**I also changed up the chat between Harry and Draco a little bit. Hagrid isn't there for Draco to make fun of so I feel like the bridge wouldn't have burned so quickly. So, Harry doesn't hate him right off the bat.**_

_**Please leave me a review if you have the time.**_


	4. Chapter Four

_**A/N This chapter is again is longer than I was intending but I really didn't want to cut it in the middle of the train ride. Thanks The Bug, XenasBell, EmilyCMalfoy, and rebecca-in-blue for leaving me a review I really appreciate it!**_

_**There are again a few passages straight from the books, I don't own anything.**_

Harry's punishment lasted three days before he was back to doing chores. Thankfully the month of August passed without further incident and mildly steady night meals. Harry was really glad he had bought so much owl food even though the shop keeper had said he wouldn't need it. He had been right to think his aunt and uncle were not going to let Hedwig out. He could tell she was restless but he was glad she was fed. Harry had kept Ezekiel completely hidden he knew his relatives would throw a fit if they spotted the 4-foot snake. Ezekiel slept wrapped around Harry at night and sunbathed in his tank during the days when Harry was doing chores.

August 31st rolled around and Uncle Vernon had not spoken to Harry once about the trip to King's Cross station in the morning. Harry didn't want to anger the man but wanted to ensure he hadn't forgotten. He worked extra hard to finish his chores even earlier than normal so his uncle wouldn't have any ammunition to use against him when he asked. Harry entered the sitting room meekly keeping his head down.

"Uncle Vernon... I finished my chores." Harry said, his relatives didn't look up from the show they were watching but his uncle grunted in acknowledgement. Harry stood there for a few moments trying to work up the courage to ask about a ride to the station when his uncle looked over at him.

"What is it boy?" he growled irritably; Harry shrunk into himself. This was what he was trying to avoid.

"I-I just... Well I just wanted t-to make sure," Harry stammered unable to get the words out of his mouth. Vernon waved his hand suddenly making him jump a step back.

"Yes, Yes, I'll take you to King's Cross tomorrow be ready to leave by 8," he said turning his eyes back to the tv. "There will be no dinner again tonight, the last few nights will make up for the gas I'll be wasting driving you." Harry nodded in understanding before going to his cupboard for the night. Harry waited for the Dursleys to go to bed before he chatted with Ezekiel quietly.

"Tomorrow you have to stay hidden no one can know I have you ok?" he whispered.

"I underssstand," he replied nuzzling his cheek,

"I'm so excited I don't think I'll be able to sleep at all." Harry said after a long silence,

"You ssshould try, you haven't eaten in a few days. You'll need all the energy you can mussster." Ezekiel said and Harry nodded closing his eyes. He managed to get a few hours of sleep but he still woke up way too early. Harry spent the time organizing and reorganizing his trunk. When he heard the Dursleys start to rise, he slipped on a baggy shirt after allowing Ezekiel to curl around his chest. He pulled his trunk out of his cupboard and set Hedwig's cage on top of it. He stood waiting patiently for his uncle by the door.

He followed Uncle Vernon to the car who walked to the back of it opening the boot waiting for Harry to place the trunk inside. Harry struggled trying to pick it up, his uncle huffed irritably and smacked the back of his head shoving him out of the way. Harry fell on the drive way scraping his palms as his uncle snatched up his trunk tossing it inside the boot slamming the door shut. Harry kept his head down and quickly slid into the back seat with Hedwig's cage.

"You will not speak to anyone at your weirdo school about my house or anything that happens inside my house. Do you understand freak?" Harry nodded vigorously in the backseat, pressing the hot scuffed flesh of his palms against the cool denim of hand-me-down trousers. They arrived at half past ten, Uncle Vernon dumped his trunk on a trolley as Harry got out of the car with Hedwig. He looked down at Harry with a nasty look.

"Don't write, don't come home for holidays," he snarled, "I don't want to see heads or tails of you until I come back here to pick you up in the summer. Do you understand?" Harry nodded quickly and Uncle Vernon got back in his car and sped off. Harry pushed his trunk into the station keeping his head down trying to ignore the stares he was getting because of Hedwig. He pulled out his ticket and stared at it. Platform 9 ¾. He looked up at the platforms 9 and 10 feeling a little nervous. He remembered what Dumbledore said to him, but the concept of walking into a brick wall was a little daunting. He pushed his trolley towards the wall between the two platforms. He took a deep breath, tightened his grip on the trolley, squeezed his eyes shut and pushed the trolley. He met no resistance and when he opened his eyes he was looking at bright vibrant station filled with people.

A scarlet steam engine was waiting next to a platform packed with people. A sign overhead said _Hogwarts Express, 11 o'clock_. Harry looked behind him and saw a wrought-iron archway where the ticket box had been, with the words Platform Nine and Three Quarters on it. He had done it. Smoke from the engine drifted over the heads of the chattering crowd, while cats of every colour wound here and there between their legs. Owls hooted to each other in a disgruntled sort of way over the babble and the scraping of heavy trunks. The first few carriages were already packed with students, some hanging out of the window to talk to their families, some fighting over seats. Harry pushed his trolley off down the platform in search of an empty seat. He passed a round-faced boy who was saying,

"Gran, I've lost my toad again."

"Oh, Neville," he heard the old woman sigh. A boy with dreadlocks was surrounded by a small crowd.

"Give us a look, Lee, go on." The boy lifted the lid of a box in his arms and the people around him shrieked and yelled as something inside poked out a long, hairy leg. Harry pressed on through the crowd until he found an empty compartment near the end of the train. He put Hedwig inside first and then started to shove and heave his trunk towards the train door. He tried to lift it up the steps but could hardly raise one end and twice he dropped it painfully on his foot.

"You look like you could use some help." a voice with a Scottish accent said behind him. Harry turned to an older boy smiling down at him. He had warm brown eyes and short brown hair. He held his hand out to him.

"Oliver Wood," he said and shook Harrys hand when the smaller boy slipped his own hands into it.

"Harry Potter," Harry said softly. Oliver's eyesbrows shot up.

"Are you now? Well it's very nice to meet you Harry, may I?" He asked reaching for Harry's trunk before he could answer. He lifted it with ease, carried it up the steps, and slid the trunk into the rack overhead.

"Thank you," Harry said

"Not a problem," The older boy replied. He stepped back off the train and looked at Harry again. His face scrunched up a little biting his lip "You wouldn't mind if I hid in your compartment with you, would you?" Harry shook his head promptly and Oliver broke out into a smile again.

"Thanks," He scooped up his own trunk off his trolley and placed it in the rack on the other side. Harry stepped into the compartment sitting down on the right under his own trunk setting Hedwig on the seat next to him. Oliver followed him with his own owl. He set the barn owl on the seat and drew the blinds shut in the compartment before sitting down. Harry watched him curiously. It seemed like the older boy really was hiding.

"You've got a beautiful owl," Oliver said to Harry. His barn owl hooted indignantly at him its feathers ruffled but Oliver just chuckled rolling his eyes. "Ignore Conrad, he looks brown but he's actually green."

Harry frowned at that, the owl looked plenty brown to him. Except for his face and chest. The other boy grimaced at little at Harry's expression.

"Er... sorry I was just trying to be funny, I meant he's jealous." He said rubbing his head awkwardly. Harry didn't get the joke but he smiled all the same and Oliver seemed to relax a little. "So what's your owls name?"

"Oh, her name is Hedwig." Harry replied,

"Hedwig," He smiled again, "That's cute, I like it." The train whistle blew and the boys both lapsed into an awkward silence. The silence stretched on until the train began to move.

"We're on our way now," Wood said with a sigh, he sat back his shoulders drooping a little. Harry rubbed Ezekiel through his shirt watching the other boy. He was really curious but was afraid to ask. Why was the boy hiding? It made Harry feel a little apprehensive about Hogwarts. Oliver was well built and burly boy, if he had to hide from bullies then Harry wasn't sure this was going to be any better than what he had left behind. Oliver broke the silence again a few minutes later.

"You look like you want to ask a question," he said watching Harry. The smaller boy flushed a little but nodded, "Go on, I don't bite." Harry chewed on the inside of his cheek for a moment before finally asking.

"Why are you hiding?" his voice was soft but steady, The boy flashed Harry a sad smile.

"Ah, yes it probably does seem strange for a fifth year to be hiding with a first year." he said, his hands moved together and his fingers interlocked squeezing tightly together. "I feel a little stupid doing it to be honest." he was silent again for a few moments and Harry was beginning to believe that was all he was going to get.

"My best friend graduated Hogwarts last year. This is the first year I've ever had to ride without him and its harder than I thought it was going to be. I miss him a lot. I didn't even get to see him this summer, he moved to Romania. I'm really proud of him and I'm really happy for him, don't get me wrong, it's just hard to sit here and not think about him. I just don't have it in me to stick on a fake smile for my other friends for the entire train ride." Oliver's eyes seemed a little watery than before,

"I'm sorry," Harry said and the boy smiled again but it didn't reach his eyes.

"You've nothing to be sorry for. If anything I'm sorry, I'm putting a terrible damper on your first ride to Hogwarts." Oliver scrubbed his face with his hands and when he looked up again his smile seemed more genuine. "Are you nervous?" he asked,

"Yeah," Harry said nodding,

"I really want to tell you not to worry, but I know from experience it wont help. It all seems really scary now. It's a new place filled with new people and lots of new subjects. But once you get there and you get sorted into your house and you start making friends...It becomes home and I promise by the end of the year you'll be wishing you didn't have to leave."

Harry nodded; he didn't think it would take much for him to wish he didn't have to go back home to his relatives. Shame crept up on him at the thought, his relatives sacrificed so much for him it was a really ungrateful thought.

"Do you know what house you think you'll end up in?" Oliver asked breaking Harry out of his thoughts.

"House?" Harry repeated back curiously, his mind trailed back to the conversation with the pale boy in the robe shop. "Like Slytherin and... Huffle...huff?" Harry said eyebrows drawn together trying to remember. Oliver laughed,

"Hufflepuff, yeah, there's also Ravenclaw and Gryffindor." he said,

"Which one are you in?" Harry asked,

"I'm in Gryffindor, we are the house known for courage and bravery." He replied, Harry frowned.

"I don't think I'll be in that one," they raven haired boy said looking down,

"Between you and me there are plenty of people in Gryffindor that I wouldn't say where particularly brave or chivalrous." Oliver said snorting, "Charlie doesn't even believe that there should be houses. He thinks it's unfair to break us all up and pit us against each other. Total bleeding heart." he grinned turning to the empty seat to his right. The grin slipped off his face pretty quickly and Harry's heart ached a little for him. He stared at the empty seat looking a little dazed,

"What about the other houses?" Harry asked hoping to draw him back from whatever sullen place he'd stumbled into. The brunette looked at him his eyes still far away.

"Mmm?"

"The other houses, what are they known for?" Harry asked

"Oh! Right," He chuckled but it sounded hollow. "Sorry um Ravenclaws are known for their intelligence and dedication to learning, Slytherins are known for being ambitious and cunning, and Hufflepuffs are known for their kindness and loyalty."

"I feel like Hufflepuff is the only one not asking for a lot...I guess I'm hoping I end up there." Harry said and Oliver laughed, a much more hearty sound this time.

"You're probably the only first year I've ever heard willing to go to Hufflepuff." He said,

"Why?"

"Well each house has a little stigma around it." Oliver said, he quickly continued at Harry's confused look. "Well, Gryffindors are supposed to be the house of brave people full of courage. We are known for being stupid too, always rushing in head first never thinking things through. Ravenclaw is known as the house of smarties, but also the house of prudes, who think they are smarter than everyone else. That hubris can get them in over their heads. Hufflepuff is usually the house most people avoid or make fun of because they think being in Hufflepuff means your unremarkable. You weren't brave enough, or clever enough, or cunning enough to end up somewhere else."

Harry thought about this for a moment but felt this only proved even more that this was the house he would end up in. He wasn't any of those things, he wasn't even sure if he was all that kind or loyal either but he knew he wasn't anything remarkable.

"Its all hogswash Harry," Oliver said, "If you follow that logic then your limited to only being clever but never brave and cunning or being brave but never cunning or clever. I'm not even sure you can be cunning if you're not clever. Worse it would mean that you can only be kind and loyal if you're not brave, cunning, or clever. My point is, don't put too much stock in where you end up Harry. It doesn't define you."

Harry nodded Olivers words mulling over in his head, it made sense but Harry was still sure he was going to end up in Hufflepuff. He frowned,

"You left out Slytherin," Harry said, "What's the stigma around Slytherin."

"Ah, caught that did you?" He grinned, "That's because Slytherin gets it the worst. One of the worlds most evil wizards and several of his strongest supporters came from Slytherin. So it's got a bad wrap. Not to mention that people aren't generally pleased of being on the receiving end of a Slytherins cunning. People think that Slytherins are all evil but its not true. My friend Lucian is Slytherin and he's a super cool guy. I really do mean it Harry, don't put too much stock in what house you end up in. I think its wiser to strive to be a student of all four houses.

"Spend your time at school with an enthusiasm for learning like a Ravenclaw. When a situation calls for it stand firm and be brave like a Gryffindor. When its smarter to fall back, do so, and be as cunning as a Slytherin. And when it comes to making friends, be as loyal as a Hufflepuff and you'll do just fine Harry."

Harry smiled at Oliver feeling a little more relaxed about reaching their destination. He hadn't been putting too much thought into what house he would end up in but that was more because he hadn't known enough about it to worry.

Harry's eyes fell to the silver badge on Olivers chest with a C in it. Harry pointed at it,

"What does the C stand for?" He asked wondering mildly if it was for his friend Charlie. Oliver looked down at the badge on his chest and smiled.

"I am the Quidditch Captain for the Gryffindor team this year. I'm really pleased I got it, but I'm a bit nervous too. I have pretty big shoes to fill." Oliver said, "Do you play quidditch?" Harry shook his head,

"No, I didn't grow up in the wizarding world." Olivers eyebrows shot up again,

"Really? I didn't know that," He said, "So you grew up as a muggle?"

"A what?" Harry asked unsure if he had just been insulted,

"A muggle, someone with out magic powers."

"Oh, yeah I guess I did then. I only found out I was a wizard a month and a half ago." Oliver frowned at this.

"But you're Harry Potter... I mean I've been doing my best not to gush to and make you feel uncomfortable but … well you're Harry Potter... how can you not have been told you were a wizard?"

Harry didn't know how to respond to this, he was worried any answer he might give would draw more questions he couldn't answer. He shrugged and thankfully, before Oliver could press the issue, the compartment door slid open and boy with dark blond hair and deep blue eyes popped his head in.

"There you are," he said before slipping all the way inside and plopping onto the seat to the right of Oliver. He was already in his uniform, he had on a green and grey tie instead of the red and yellow one Oliver was wearing. He had a silver badge on his chest as well but his had a P in it instead of a C. He was slimmer and less burly than Oliver but they looked close in age.

"No, please, do come in, make yourself comfortable." Oliver said sardonically,

"I can't believe you're really hiding," the newcomer said reaching across Oliver to pet Conrad through his cage. Oliver's eyes narrowed at him.

"You can leave at any time, Bole." Oliver said his voice like stone. The blonde pulled back and looked at Oliver with an eyebrow raised.

"Bole is it? Am I being regressed for daring to check on you?" He asked coolly.

"If you're here to make fun of me then yes." Oliver spat, Harry winced inwardly. Oliver had been very nice to him so far but he didn't think he wanted to be stuck between the two if they were going to fight. Ezekiel tightened around him soothingly as his heart beat picked up speed. Bole made a face at Oliver,

"Sorry, I wasn't trying to insult you. Johnson caught me in the corridor and said no one couldn't find you. Typical Gryffindor to look right past the only compartment with its blinds drawn. I'm just here to check on a friend." He said glancing at Harry. Oliver relaxed a little an ran a hand over his face.

"Sorry Lucian, I didn't mean to upset you," he said and the blonde shrugged his shoulders.

"It's ok, I know you two were close, did you see him this summer?" Lucian asked his eyes glancing over at Harry curiously again.

"No, he left for the program in Romania about a week after we all got home and wanted to spend it with his family."

"You could always go visit him during the holidays," Lucian said glancing at Harry a third time, Oliver snorted.

"Yes I'm sure my family would let me slip off to Romania over Christmas."

"Well, then next summer... is that Harry Potter?" he asked suddenly, jerking a thumb towards the young boy still looking at Oliver.

"So very subtle Lucian... Yes, that's Harry Potter. No, you may not goggle at him. I will kick you out." Oliver said, Lucian let out a harsh laugh.

"You wish caveman," this time Oliver laughed, "You can still write to Charlie, as much as you miss him think about how much he misses you and the rest of his family. I'm honestly surprised Charlie managed to move so far away. Remember last year when he had to take the train with out Bill?" Oliver nodded and smiled,

"I bought all the chocolate frogs off the trolley trying to cheer up the miserable bastard, not that it helped much." Lucian chuckled,

"I remember that, I was pissed about the chocolate frogs being sold out." he said,

"You got plenty later on, after the two of us were so sick of eating chocolate frogs we were sure we would never touch one again." They both laughed and Harry smiled at them.

"I'm pretty sure that wore off long before Christmas," Lucian said, Oliver nodded. "Are you going to tell me how you ended up sharing a compartment with thee Harry Potter?" Harry's smiled slipped off his face. He wasn't interested in being the center of attention and it looked like Oliver could tell.

"Not at all, why don't you tell us about your summer?" Oliver said and Lucian narrowed his eyes at him.

"You really think you can distract a Slytherin by getting them to talk about themselves?" Lucian asked in an icy voice. There was a moment of uncomfortable silence, uncomfortable to Harry. Oliver didn't seem willing to rise to the bait he was smirking at Lucian with his eyebrows raised. A rush of air escaped Lucians lips in a loud sigh as his head fell back

"Fuck! You're right... I desperately want to tell you all about my summer but I cant." He pointed to the badge on his shirt. "I gotta go patrol the corridors. Weasley is already on my case about not taking the job seriously enough."

"Yeah well you know Percy," Oliver said snorting,

"No, I really don't," Lucian said standing up. "And with any luck that wont change a bit this year." Oliver chuckled at the blonde as he walked to the compartment door. "I'm going to tell all the Gryffindors where you are." he slid open the door stepping into the hall.

"The hell you will," Oliver said glaring at him, Lucian gave Oliver a devious smile sliding the door closed very slowly. Oliver shook his head when the door finally closed all the way. "Sorry about that."

"It's ok," Harry said, "Is he really gonna tell everyone where you are?" Oliver snorted,

"Lucian give away information to Gryffindors? Never. Not when he could watch them fret." He said chuckling, "No, Lucian came to find me because he was worried but he won't give us up." Harry smiled, he was enjoying his time with Oliver and didn't think he was ready to deal with a lot of people.

"What were we talking about before we got interrupted?" Oliver asked his brow furrowing with thought. Harry remembered exactly where the conversation had been heading before and quickly seized his chance to change it.

"You were talking about quidditch," Harry said quickly, "You said you were the new captain." Oliver's face lit up and he began to gush about the sport. Harry found himself glad he had snagged the extra book from the quidditch shop. He didn't know enough to contribute much to the conversation but he didn't feel like Oliver had to stop to explain too much to him. The subject was a good one and it distracted Oliver for a few hours. They were interrupted when the compartment door slid open again and a smiling older woman stuck her head in.

"Anything from the trolley dears?" She asked. Harry, whose stomach had been grumbling for some times jumped up. He had never had money to buy candy before and was excited to buy as many Mars Bars as he could carry – but the woman didn't have Mars Bars. What she did have were Bertie Bott's Every-Flavour Beans, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs, Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Liquorice Wands and a number of other strange things Harry had never seen in his life. Not wanting to miss anything, he got some of everything and paid the woman eleven silver Sickles and seven bronze Knuts.

He dropped his purchases in the empty seat next to him as Oliver watched with a bemused expression. He waved the trolley lady off and slid the door closed as she moved on before sitting down. Harry was already inspecting the new treats.

"You're going to get a stomach ache if you eat all that." Oliver said chuckling, "Try to save some room for the feast mate."

"What feast?" he asked sorting through his sweets.

"Every year Hogwarts has a big feast to welcome back all the students. We have several feasts through out the year. Trust me you don't want to ruin your appetite for it."

"It's not all for me," Harry said, he stood and gave Oliver an armful of chocolate frogs. "I thought they might cheer you up." Oliver stared down at the collection of sweets he had received.

"Thank you, Harry, that's really sweet of you." He said smiling at the younger boy. Oliver spent sometimes introducing all the new candies to Harry which he was grateful for. Especially when Oliver caught his first chocolate frog in its attempt to escape and his warning about the ever flavor beans. Harry was eating a pumpkin pasty and feeding Hedwig bits of it when the compartment door slid open a third time and a boy and a girl who looked about Harry's age poked their heads in. The boy had a round face and looked on the verge of tears. The girl had lots of bushy brown hair, she looked at them both and said,

"Have either of you seen a toad? Neville here's lost one." Both boys shook their heads,

"No sorry, no toads in here." Oliver said, "I suggest heading to the front, there is a prefects compartment up there. Let them know about the missing toad and they can help you search. If you don't find the toad before we arrive, they can inform the conductors who will keep an eye out for it when they clean the train."

"Okay, thank you." the girl said and they left.

"Poor kid, never fun losing a pet, even less so when you're heading somewhere new." Harry nodded in agreement, he had only had Hedwig and Ezekiel for a short time but he knew he would be devastated if he ever lost either of them.

"I think we are getting close; you should get your robes on." Oliver suggested. Harry nodded and stood to get his robes but the trunks was a bit too high. Before Harry could stand on the seat to get to it Oliver stepped forward and reached above him pulling out a set of robes for Harry to change into.

"Thanks," he said and Oliver nodded sitting back down. Harry changed into his robes making sure to keep Ezekiel hidden. Harry sat back down looking out the window stroking Ezekiel on his chest absent mindedly. A comfortable silence had spread between them and Harry began to doze. The train came to a stop before he slipped too deep into any type of real sleep. He stood ready to reach for his trunk but Oliver stopped him.

"You can leave that and Hedwig," He said stuffing his left over chocolate frogs in his trunk. They take everyone's stuff off the train and to your room as soon as they know where that will be." He helped Harry store the rest of his sweets in his trunk. Before Harry could leave Oliver placed a hand on his shoulder and he turned.

"Harry, I want you to know... well no matter where you end up you can always come to me if you need anything. I don't want you to think we can't ever talk again once we leave here. We're friends now and I'll always have your back if you need me ok?" Harry flushed a little, pleased, and he nodded. Oliver smiled at him,

"Alright then lets go." Oliver opened the door and stepped out into the corridor blocking the sea of students making their way off the train to let Harry go in front of him. He stepped off with everyone else and found himself huddled with a bunch of other students on a small platform. Harry shivered in the cold night air.

"You stay here Harry, Hagrid will take you and the other first years across the lake. I'll see you at the sorting" He said ruffling Harrys hair before leaving with the other older students towards some carriages. Harry clutched Ezekiel feeling a little colder at the loss of his new friend. Then a lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students and Harry heard a booming voice:

"Firs'-years! Firs'-years over here!"

_**A/N Thanks for reading guys! **_

_**I hope you guys like it. I know this probably seems like a weird change from the original. I am still planning on Harry having a good relationship with Ron but I really wanted this chance for Harry to build a relationship with someone a bit older. I don't think Oliver Wood is really so philosophical but I like the idea of someone who puts less stock in sorting 11-year-old kids into houses, that define them for the rest of their lives, getting to Harry before someone who can demonize or glorify the different houses. I was teetering on using Cedric Diggory or using Bole but when I ended up deciding to put Harry in Slytherin instead of Hufflepuff I settled on Wood and I think I like how this turned out (even if it's a bit cheesy). Please leave me a review if you have the time.**_


	5. Chapter Five

** _A/N Hey guys! Thanks so much for sticking around. I'm sorry this took so long to get out I had some personal stuff I had to deal with. I also had a beta reader for a short time who really helped encourage me to think everything out which took sometime as well. They aren't able to help me anymore so I'm still looking for a beta reader if anyone is interested. You don't need to be good at grammar or anything. I'm more interested in someone who can kind of point out ideas that I have that aren't great or maybe give me ideas on ways to improve it. Like a fresh set of eyes. Thanks to DaCatOfAdventure, XenasBell, Kovenn, Girl Harry, and Dumbledore-The-Phoenix for reviewing. I really appreciate you guys taking the time to leave a comment. This chapter is again longer than normal because it has a lot directly from the book but this should be the last time that happens. I don't own anything._ **

"Firs'-years! Firs'-years over here!" A big hairy face beamed over the sea of heads. 'C'mon, you can all call me Hagrid, follow me – any more firs'-years? Mind yer step, now! Firs'-years follow me!' Slipping and stumbling, they followed Hagrid down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. It was so dark either side of them that Harry thought there must be thick trees there. Nobody spoke much. Neville, the boy who kept losing his toad, sniffed once or twice.

"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," The giant man called over his shoulder, "jus' round this bend here." There was a loud 'Oooooh!'. The narrow path had opened suddenly on to the edge of a great black lake. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.

"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. Harry felt uncomfortable at having to pick which boat to sit in. He wished Oiver was still with him. He was finding it hard not to think about being picked last for sports in primary school. What if all the boats filled up and there wasn't any room for him? Would he be left behind? Sent back to his uncle? He scanned the boats and spotted the pale boy from Madam's Malkins motioning Harry over. He was sitting in a boat with two larger boys. Harry felt a sense of ease and joined them sitting next to the pale boy keeping his eyes down. Though Harry had enjoyed his time with Oliver, he felt immediately overwhelmed at the prospect of making conversation with new people.

"Is it true?" the blonde boy asked. "They were all saying on the train that Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts. So, it's you, is it?"

"Yes," said Harry meekly. He was looking at the other boys. Both of them were thickset and looked extremely mean. They were crammed together sitting on the opposite side of the boat.

"Oh, this is Crabbe and this is Goyle," said the pale boy carelessly, noticing where Harry was looking. "And my name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy." Harry rubbed Ezekiel through his shirt feeling uncomfortable. He had never successfully made friends before. Even though Dudley wasn't here to scare anyone off, Harry felt disinterested at the idea of making friends at all. He had Ezekiel, Hedwig, and now Oliver. It was more than he could ever hope for. Asking for more felt greedy, and likely to cause trouble.

"Nice to meet you." Harry mumbled quietly. Before Malfoy could respond Hagrid shouted,

"Everyone in?" He had a boat to himself, "Right then – FORWARD!" And the fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass. Everyone was silent, staring up at the great castle overhead. It towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood.

"Heads down!" yelled Hagrid as the first boats reached the cliff; they all bent their heads and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy which hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle, until they reached a kind of underground harbour, where they clambered out on to rocks and pebbles.

"Oy, you there! Is this your toad?" said Hagrid, who was checking the boats as people climbed out of them.

"Trevor!" cried the boy blissfully, holding out his hands. Harry smiled at him, a rush of relief flooded Harry's chest. It felt a bit odd. Harry himself hadn't lost one of his pets, but at that moment, he felt as relieved as he was sure the boy felt. Harry had always been a little sensitive to the emotions of others picking up on them easily but this felt different. They clambered up a passageway in the rock after Hagrid's lamp, coming out at last on to smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle. They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, oak front door.

"Everyone here? You there, still got yer toad?" Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.

The door swung open at once. A tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there. She had a very stern face and Harry's first thought was that this was not someone to cross.

"The firs'-years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here." She pulled the door wide. The Entrance Hall was so big you could have fitted the whole of the Dursleys' house in it. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches like the ones at Gringotts, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors. They followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. Harry could hear the drone of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right – the rest of the school must already be here – but Professor McGonagall showed the first-years into a small empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in, standing rather closer together than they would usually have done, peering about nervously.

"Welcome to Hogwarts,' said Professor McGonagall. "The start of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory and spend free time in your house common room.

"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honour. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.

"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting." Harry anxiously tried to flatten his hair, while Draco straightened his cloak. Harry's hands felt shaky, he was nervous but this felt strange like his nervousness was amplified.

"I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly." She left the chamber. Harry swallowed.

"How exactly do they sort us into houses?" he asked Malfoy his voice trembling. He was kicking himself for not asking Oliver. Malfoy leaned in closer and Harry fought every fiber of his body not to jerk back. He knew it would raise questions he had no answers for.

"It's a magic hat," he whispered into Harry's ear. "My father told me, you put it on your head and it tells you what house you belong to." He moved back and Harry frowned. How can a hat tell you anything? Harry didn't ask this question aloud though. He didn't want to look like an idiot.

Though this information seemed like it should calm his nerves, they were feeling even worse. His legs trembled he had never felt nervous like this before. It felt palpable, like he could physically feel it pulsing around him.

"The Sorting Ceremony's about to start." Professor McGonagall had returned. "Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first-years, "and follow me." Feeling oddly as though his legs had turned to lead, Harry got into line behind Draco, with Crabbe… or maybe Goyle behind him, and they walked out of the chamber, back across the hall and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall. Harry had never even imagined such a strange and splendid place. It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles which were floating in mid-air over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the Hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting.

Professor McGonagall led the first-years up here, so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them. The hundreds of faces staring at them looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight. Mainly to avoid all the staring eyes, Harry looked upwards and saw a velvety black ceiling dotted with stars. He heard the girl behind him whisper,

"It's bewitched to look like the sky outside, I read about it in Hogwarts: A History." It was hard to believe there was a ceiling there at all, and that the Great Hall didn't simply open on to the heavens. Harry quickly looked down again as Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first-years. On top of the stool she put a pointed wizard's hat. This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty. Aunt Petunia wouldn't have let it in the house. Noticing that everyone in the Hall was now staring at the hat, he stared at it too. For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth – and the hat began to sing:

_'Oh, you may not think I'm pretty, _

_But don't judge on what you see, _

_I'll eat myself if you can find _

_A smarter hat than me. _

_You can keep your bowlers black, _

_Your top hats sleek and tall, _

_For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat _

_And I can cap them all. _

_There's nothing hidden in your head _

_The Sorting Hat can't see, _

_So try me on and I will tell you _

_Where you ought to be. _

_You might belong in Gryffindor, _

_Where dwell the brave at heart, _

_Their daring, nerve and chivalry _

_Set Gryffindors apart; _

_You might belong in Hufflepuff _

_Where they are just and loyal, _

_Those patient Hufflepuffs are true _

_And unafraid of toil; _

_Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw, _

_If you've a ready mind, _

_Where those of wit and learning, _

_Will always find their kind; _

_Or perhaps in Slytherin _

_You'll make your real friends, _

_Those cunning folk use any means _

_To achieve their ends. _

_So put me on! Don't be afraid! _

_And don't get in a flap! _

_You're in safe hands (though I have none)_

_ For I'm a Thinking Cap!' _

The whole Hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again. Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said.

"Abbott, Hannah!" A pink-faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of line, put on the hat, which fell right down over her eyes, and sat down. A moment's pause –

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat. The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table.

"Bones, Susan!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat again, and Susan scuttled off to sit next to Hannah.

"Boot, Terry!"

"RAVENCLAW!" The table second from the left clapped this time; several Ravenclaws stood up to shake hands with Terry as he joined them.

"Brocklehurst, Mandy" went to Ravenclaw too, but

"Brown, Lavender" became the first new Gryffindor and the table on the far left exploded with cheers; Harry could see Ron's twin brothers catcalling.

"Bulstrode, Millicent" then became a Slytherin. He was starting to feel definitely sick now. Pulsing nervousness he was feeling was interrupted with spikes of excitement every time one of the tables got a new student. It was starting to make his head ache a bit.

"Finch-Fletchley, Justin!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Sometimes, Harry noticed, the hat shouted out the house at once, but at others it took a little while to decide.

"Finnigan, Seamus", the sandy-haired boy near Harry in the line, sat on the stool for almost a whole minute before the hat declared him a Gryffindor.

"Granger, Hermione!" Hermione almost ran to the stool and jammed the hat eagerly on her head.

"GRYFFINDOR!" shouted the hat. A horrible thought struck Harry, as horrible thoughts always do when you're very nervous. What if he wasn't chosen at all? What if he just sat there with the hat over his eyes for ages, until Professor McGonagall jerked it off his head and said there had obviously been a mistake and he'd better get back on the train?

When Neville was called, he fell over on his way to the stool. The hat took a long time to decide with Neville. When it finally shouted

"GRYFFINDOR", Neville ran off still wearing it, and had to jog back amid gales of laughter to give it to

"MacDougal, Morag".

Draco swaggered forward when his name was called and got his wish at once: the hat had barely touched his head when it screamed,

"SLYTHERIN!" Draco went to join his friends Crabbe and Goyle, looking pleased with himself. There weren't many people left now.

"Moon" ... "Nott" ... "Parkinson" ... then a pair of twin girls, "Patil" and "Patil" ... then "Perks, Sally-Anne" ... and then, at last –

"Potter, Harry!" As Harry stepped forward, whispers suddenly broke out like little hissing fires all over the hall.

"Potter, did she say?"

"_The _Harry Potter?" The last thing Harry saw before the hat dropped over his eyes was the Hall full of people craning to get a good look at him. Next second he was looking at the black inside of the hat. He waited.

"Hmm," said a small voice in his ear. "Difficult. Very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind, either. There's talent, oh my goodness, yes – and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting ... So where shall I put you?" Harry clutched at Ezekiel trying to keep breathing calmly.

"...Is that a freaking snake under your shirt?" Asked the Hat incredulous, Harry froze.

"...maybe..." Harry replied biting his lip,

"You snuck a snake into school?" The hat asked,

"Are you – are you going to tell on me?" Harry asked nervously, the Sorting Hat burst out laughing to the entire hall before falling silent again.

"No," said the sorting hat as a quiet voice in his ear again. "I see you can speak with him... sneaking a snake into school... Slytherin himself would be-" There was silence and a strange sensation that the hats attention was suddenly somewhere else. The feeling was eerie, the closest thing he could compare it to was when he was at Ms. Figs house petting one of her cats and the cat suddenly jerked its attention away staring at some random corner of the room. As if it could see something perhaps dark and ominous that Harry couldn't. Even Ezekiel seemed to stiffen at the sensation. He wanted to take the hat off suddenly, he wasn't sure why or if the unease he was feeling was his own or the hats. The hat jerked suddenly, not physically but mentally, it startled Harry and he jumped physically for both of them. Before Harry could form a question, the hat shrieked,

"SLYTHERIN!"

The hat was lifted off his head, the whole hall was silent. Harry swallowed hard, the sensations around him turned from nervous titters to something tense and slightly ominous. He walked slowly over to the Slytherin table feeling the sensation settle a weight on his shoulders. It was Lucian who stood up first and started clapping that encouraged the rest of the Slytherin students to follow suit. Lucian made room for Harry between himself and Goyle. Harry sat down smiling slightly at Bole. The tense atmosphere was far outweighing any excitement he may have felt and being placed in a house. The strange experience with the hat hadn't helped. The hat had seemed to voice his house with a screech instead of the calm announcing tone he was doing for everyone else. At the very end when the hat was being pulled from his head, he could tell the hat wanted to leave him as much as he wanted to be free of it. He pulled himself from his thoughts and couldn't help noticing people staring at him from all the other houses. Many faces were looking at him disapprovingly. Harry looked up at the Headmaster who was also staring down at Harry with a strange look on his face.

"Pay them no attention," said Lucian, Harry smiled at him again before putting his head down staring at his hands in his lap. He didn't realize what house he ended up in was going to cause so much distress. Harry wished now that he had asked Headmaster Dumbledore where he was supposed to go. He just hoped punishments here weren't as rough as at the Dursley's. Ezekiel tightened around him slightly in an attempt to comfort him and Harry relaxed a little, rubbing the snake through his shirt.

Lost in his thoughts he had missed the last of the sorting. He scanned the room noticing the houses the last few students had ended up in. He spotted Oliver's warm eyes and encouraging smile through the tables of students. He gave Harry wave and a thumbs up and Harry waved back smiling despite his unease.

Professor McGonagall rolled up her scroll and took the Sorting Hat away. Harry looked down at his empty gold plate. He had only just realized how hungry he was. The pumpkin pasties seemed ages ago. Albus Dumbledore had got to his feet. He was beaming at the students, his arms opened wide, as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there.

"Welcome!" he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!

"Thank you!" He sat back down. Everybody clapped and cheered. Harry didn't know whether to laugh or not.

"What an idiot," Draco mumbled across from him, "Let's eat."

Harry's mouth fell open. The dishes in front of him were now piled with food. He had never seen so many things to eat on one table: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, chips, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup and, for some strange reason, mint humbugs.

The Dursleys had mostly starved Harry, he'd never been allowed to eat as much as he liked. Harry piled his plate with a bit of everything except the humbugs and began to eat. It was all delicious. Harry listened to the different conversations going on around him. Lucian and some other older students were talking about their summers, two first years a few people down from him were talking about their upcoming classes and Draco was talking to Crabbe about quidditch. Harry ate quietly appreciating Goyle's silent presence next to him. He noticed the tense sensation that had been bearing down on him had passed. Instead a sense of calm and happiness had washed over him, flooding his whole body. He wasn't sure he'd ever felt this content in his whole life.

He didn't eat nearly as much as his classmates but he was still pleasantly full when the remains of the food faded from the plates, leaving them sparkling clean as before. A moment later the puddings appeared. Blocks of ice-cream in every flavour you could think of, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate éclairs and jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, jelly, rice pudding ...

As Harry helped himself to a treacle tart, the talk turned to their families. Draco was boasting about being a 'pureblood' wizard to some other students who talked about their own families in return. Draco looked at Harry.

"You're a half-blood, right Harry?" he asked, some of the other students looked at him and Harry shuddered slightly at the feeling of being the center of attention so suddenly.

"I-I don't know," He said nervously, "I was raised by my aunt and uncle and they never talked about my parents." the table was a little quiet now.

"You were living with muggles?" Asked Pansy from across the table with a disgusted look on her face. Harry shrunk in on himself not sure how to answer he turned to look at Draco who was also frowning at him.

"I'm sorry," He said looking down rubbing Ezekiel through his robes. This wasn't what he wanted. He wanted to feel safe and wanted here but he was already feeling like an outcast.

"He's Harry Potter, everyone knows he's half blood." Lucian said staring Draco down, "All of you knock it off, we don't fight amongst ourselves. Harry is a Slytherin now, he's apart of our family just like the rest of you and that is all that matters." Harry looked at Lucian gratefully as the conversation at the table turned away from Harry. Bole nodded turning back to his conversation.

Harry, who was starting to feel warm and sleepy, looked up at the High Table again. Hagrid was drinking deeply from his goblet. Professor McGonagall was talking to Professor Dumbledore. A professor with a turban, was talking to a professor with greasy black hair, a hooked nose and sallow skin. It happened very suddenly. The hook-nosed teacher looked past the turban straight into Harry's eyes – and a sharp, hot pain shot across the scar on Harry's forehead.

"Ouch!" Harry clapped a hand to his head. Bole turned to him quickly while Goyle watched the other students for signs that someone may have hit him with jinx.

"What is it?" asked Lucian concerned, he gently pulled Harry's hand away from his head to inspect it.

"N-nothing." The pain had gone as quickly as it had come. Harder to shake off was the feeling Harry had got from the professor's look – a feeling that he didn't like Harry at all. A look he was familiar with from living with the Dursley's

"Who are those two teachers?' he asked Lucian, indicating to the pair.

"That's our cowardly Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professer Quirell." He replied, "The other man is Professor Snape. He teaches Potions, and he's our Head of House." Harry watched Snape for a while but Snape didn't look at him again. At last, the puddings too disappeared and Professor Dumbledore got to his feet again. The Hall fell silent.

"Ahem – just a few more words now we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you.

"First-years should note that the forest in the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well." Dumbledore's twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of the Weasley twins. "I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors.

"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch.

"And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death." Harry stared up at him, fear prickling the back of his neck, "And now, bedtime. Off you trot!" Lucian stood up,

"First years follow me," he said walking out of the Great Hall. Harry and the other first year Slytherins followed after him quickly. Lucian stood waiting for the other classmates to clear out so he could be heard. "I'm Lucian Bole, I am a fifth-year prefect and I will be watching for backs for the first week." He waved at them to follow him as he began walking to the dungeons.

"Here in Slytherin we stick together and take care of each other, no matter what." he said taking them further down. Harry was trying to pay attention but he was already lost. "I mean that, no matter what goes on in our house we always present a united front. Though we prefer you don't fight amongst yourselves either. Slytherins' are the most hated students in this school, people are going to be shitty to you even though you haven't done anything to them. Never go anywhere alone. I'm going to mother hen the crap out of you lot for the first week, but after that you'll have to watch out for each other." They stopped in front of a wall. The first years were looking around unsure what they were supposed to do now when a section of the wall opened up allowing them to pass through.

"The door won't open unless you're a Slytherin so you don't have to worry about other houses trying to sneak in here."

The Slytherin common room was a more modern looking then Harry would have expected. The room still had stone floors and walls and there was a massive fireplace with what looked like a sculpture of a monstrous snake-like creature protruding slightly from the wall over the mantle. There were several black, green, and gray sofas and chairs around the fireplace that looked new but cozy. The ceiling, just like the great hall replicated the clear starry sky outside. There were orbs floating in the sky instead of candles that looked like moons and they gave off a cool glow. On the back wall there were two spiral staircases leading to an upper level that was filled with bookshelves. Under the overhang were tables that some students were sitting at playing chess or reading. The entire back wall was a giant window that gave a view to the lake. It was dark but the moon was bright and illuminated the clear water in the lake. He could see dark shapes, probably fish, swimming around and the sway of aquatic plant life on the lake floor. On his left there was a large portrait of an old man, he was probably as old as Dumbledore. He had a clean-shaven head but long white beard. He was wearing emerald robes and had a snake around his shoulders that looked a lot like Ezekiel.

"Now you're all tired and I hate to repeat myself so we'll save the important stuff for tomorrow." He pointed to two doors on either side of the large portrait. "Door on the right is the boy's dormitories, the one on the left is for the girls. You'll go up to the first floor and that's where you'll find your rooms. You'll have three or four to a room which will be marked on the door and your stuff will already be inside. Meet back here at 7am, Good night."

Harry followed Draco and the other first year boys up the flight of stairs, there were 4 doors on the first floor. Only three of them had names on them. Harry's name was on the third door with Zabini and Nott but Draco snatched his placard off their door swapping it with one of the names on his door. Harry felt a little uncomfortable at breaking the rooming chart but when he followed Draco into the room, he saw his stuff had moved with the placard to the new room. Draco smirked spotting his Harry's confused face.

"Slytherins prefer to be self-sufficient so we can always change rooms if we want. Usually people will move if they're having a fight to stop from disturbing others with passive aggressive behavior. My father gave me a heads up." Harry nodded in understanding and moved to his bed. The four beds were lined up against the wall. Harry was between Draco and Goyle. The wall in front of their beds was glass that looked like it had been carved from the rock. This also had a view to the underbelly of the lake. Harry couldn't really see anything because it was dark but he bet it would be really pretty during the day. The ceiling in their room was just like the common room it also depicted a clear starry sky. At the end of the room was a door that led to a bathroom. The beds had grey sheets and emerald green comforters. They were four poster beds that supported a canopy of heavy dark green drapes. Their trunks were sitting at the end of the beds but the sides of the bed frames had drawers in them for extra storage. In between each bed was a wardrobe and two end tables giving them plenty of space.

Draco was sitting on his bed flicking through a book, Crabbe and Goyle were putting their clothes away. Harry hadn't moved from the edge of the bed. He was suddenly feeling very out of place. Harry had never had freedom like this before and he was scared. He didn't know what to do next. Draco looked over at him.

"What's wrong?" he asked, Harry shrugged unsure how to even begin to answer "Homesick?" Harry thought about it and was surprised to find he was a little homesick. He didn't really miss his relatives but he missed his cupboard and he missed the structure and routine he had. He knew he would form new ones but this sensation left him feeling vulnerable like Uncle Vernon might swoop into the room and smack him for not doing something. Harry knew he couldn't tell Draco any of this so he just shrugged again. He knelt at his trunk realizing all three boys were staring at him and started putting his uniforms away. Draco got up and followed suit watching Harry cautiously.

"What was it like?" Draco asked cutting through the silence that had fallen over the room. Harry looked up confused,

"What was what like?" He asked,

"You know, living with those muggles." The words flew out of Harry's mouth before he could even stop himself.

"My relatives take really good care of me, I'm really lucky they took me in at all." Harry caught Goyle and Draco sharing a look. He dropped his head and continued working.

"That doesn't really answer my question," Draco said after another few moments, "What was it like? Are they nice?" Panic squeezed at Harry's heart, he needed to change the direction of the conversation.

"I'm really luck they take care of me," He repeated, "What time did Lucian say we needed to be downstairs tomorrow?" Draco watched Harry for another moment while Harry busied himself with anything that could help him avoid eye contact.

"7am," He said softly, "I'm going to shower before I go to bed." He stated before gathering up his pajamas and going to the bathroom. Harry bit his lip mentally cursing himself for being such a freak. He wished he could just be cool like everyone else, carelessly sharing stories from their home lives. He stood sighing softly rubbing Ezekiel through his robes. After spending the last month in close quarters with Hedwig and Ezekiel he was missing Hedwig's presence. He was sure she was happy in the owlery making lots of owl friends and he definitely would hate to see he trapped down here where there were no windows that opened to the sky, but he still wished she was with him.

He sat on his bed reading through his transfiguration book as Crabbe and Goyle prepared for bed. He was waiting for Draco to finish in the bathroom so he could shower. It had been a while since he had been able to wash. The blonde boy came out of the bathroom some 30 minutes later in his pajamas with his hair already dry though Harry hadn't heard a hair dryer. He collected his own pajamas before entering the bathroom just like Draco had done. The bathroom was huge it had several sinks under a huge mirror and there were 4 black stalls on either side. The ones on the right were toilets but the ones of the left were larger with shower heads hanging over the top. Harry took his clothes into one of the stalls to the left. It had a cubby for his clothes and had several towels in the cubby below that.

He stripped down and helped Ezekiel curl up in the cubby with his pjamas as he turned on the shower stepping under the ice-cold water. The stalls walls were lined with glass bottles and each one was embossed with the name of its contents. Harry was in the middle of washing his hair when he heard a knock on the stall door startling him out of his thoughts. He covered himself with his hands in a panic even though no one could see him.

"Harry?" Draco's voice called through the door. "Are you showering with cold water? Do you need help with the tap?" Harry frowned looking back at the shower. He had never been allowed to use the hot water at his aunt and uncles house, they didn't want to waste it on a freak like him. He hadn't even considered turning it on.

"I didn't want to waste it," He called back after a moment and he heard Draco chuckle.

"It's magic Harry, it isn't going to run out. You can use as much as you want." he replied.

"Oh, ok thanks." He heard Draco return to the sink and begin brushing his teeth. He hesitated biting his lip for a few minutes considering turning on the tap. He knew his uncle wasn't here at Hogwarts but he couldn't help feeling trepidation at the idea of disobeying his orders. He reached out a trembling hand to change it the cold water rushing down his back basically forgotten but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Harry finished showering quickly and shut the water off drying himself off with one of the towels. He slipped into his pajamas and let Ezekiel slide around him hissing slightly at Harrys cold skin. Harry stepped out of the shower and dropped his dirty clothes and wet towel in a hamper with his initials on it.

He moved next to Draco at the sinks, his hair still dripping a little with water. He picked up his own toothbrush and began brushing his teeth. Draco was putting lotion on his face, his eyes glancing over at Harry in the mirror he picked up his wand giving it a complicated wave and said,

"_Siccum," _Harry felt a stream of warm air blow through his hair from Draco's wand. He moved his wand around Harry's head and after a few seconds it stopped leaving his hair dry. Harry touched it and smiled,

"Thanks," He said with his mouth full of toothpaste. Draco smiled slightly rubbing his hands together to get rid of the excess lotion. He left Harry alone in the bathroom as he finished brushing his teeth. He rinsed his mouth and left the bathroom going to his bed. Goyle and Crabbe were already sleeping the latter snoring rather loudly. Harry climbed into his bed and Draco came over.

"When you're ready just wave your hand in a sliding motion like this," Draco showed him, "and your curtains will close. They damper noise coming in so you don't have to listed to Crabbe snoring. Once they are closed if you wave your hand at the ceiling of your bed it will change to match the sky like the rest of the room. It'll get brighter as the sun rises to help wake you up."

"Ok thank you," Harry said and yawned silently, Draco nodded and climbed into his own bed his curtains sliding closed behind him. He looked to his left to see Goyle's curtains were already closed. He waved his hand like Draco showed him watching his own curtains close as he laid down. Ezekiel popped his head out of his shirt bumping his nose against Harry's making him smile. He waved his hand again causing the night sky to appear above them.

"I think we can talk a little in here," he said quietly to Ezekiel, "I doubt they can hear us over Crabbe snoring and through their drapes."

"I agree," He hissed softly, "but today hasss been long, you ssshould ressst."

"I know, I feel really tired but not at all at the same time."

"You're ssstill ssso excccited," he replied "but you did not sssleep much lassst night either. Clossse your eyesss hatchling... sssleep will come." Harry nodded and rolled on his side closing his eyes. Ezekiel rested his head on his cheek as he drifted off to sleep.

** _A/N Thanks for reading! If you have a chance please leave me a review and let me know what you all think._ **


	6. Chapter Six

** _A/N Maybe I am incapable of writing short chapters. I feel like I keep saying the next one won't be so long…buuut here we are again. I hope you enjoy! I want to thank geekymom, StellaSternchenStar, Lune-Bleue22, and hpmyman for reviewing it means a lot. Lune-Bleue22 I added a comment for you at the end because I don't think people get my pm. I don't own anything. _ **

Harry woke early the next morning. The sky above him was still dark and starry, growing slightly lighter in the east. The boy slipped out of bed leaving his curtains drawn and Ezekiel snoozing on his pillow. He moved silently to the end of the bed, to his trunk, and quietly pulled out the glass tank. He slipped back into bed hidden behind the drapes and gently placed the snake inside. It turned on and Harry laid back down. He watched the condensation build on the glass around the jungle scene.

His mind wandered back to the previous day and the strong emotions he had experienced. On the train with Oliver it hadn't been so bad. But it felt like the moment he had left that compartment with Oliver, he had been overwhelmed by emotions he wasn't sure were his own. The strong sense of relief when Trevor was found, the pulsing near tangible sense of nerves before the sorting, the oppressive weight of disappointment after he was sorted, and the drowning content he felt during the feast. Harry had always known he was a little more sensitive to other peoples emotions, like knowing when one of his teachers was putting on a fake smile to hide their personal trouble, but never anything like this. He had never _felt_ other peoples feelings before, and that's what it seemed like last night. He hadn't just felt his own nervousness, it like he was like he was experiencing the entire first year class's distress.

When the sky lightened further, Harry slipped back out from his curtains and began getting ready for the day. He was dressed and brushing his teeth when his roommates began to rise. He sat on his trunk to tie his shoes as he contemplated waiting for the others. He could tell Draco wanted a relationship with him but Harry wasn't really sure he was interested in making more friends. He was appreciative of Malfoy's kindness. But going from having no friends, to the prospect of so many, made him uncomfortable. He was content with the friends already had. The idea of pushing for extra, felt greedy. The boy had more than he could have ever believed, but he still had to remember his place. He was a freak, he didn't even deserve the friends he friends he had now. He stood putting on his cloak before heading down to the common room.

There were a few people in the common room, most of them sitting at the tables. Harry moved towards the fire place sitting in a comfy gray chair while he waited for Lucian and the other first years.

"He's marking you." Said a voice on his left, he turned and spotted Blaise Zabini sitting in an identical chair on the other side of the sofa. He was looking at Harry with a bored, disinterested look. "You know that, don't you?"

"I'm sorry?" Harry asked confused,

"Malfoy, he's staking his claim on you with that little move last night." He replied turning to look at the fire. "You should move out of that room and stay as far away from him as possible." Harry frowned, he hadn't seen anything last night that suggested what Blaise was implying.

"I think he's just being nice," Harry said,

"Malfoy isn't nice, and he doesn't form relationships lightly. I'm sure you think he's just taking you under his charitable wing, but nothing is free when it comes to the Malfoy's." he said still not looking at Harry, "Everything is calculated. If you let him make this move, he will own you. Sure you'll have Malfoy as an ally. He will probably give you expensive gifts, he'll help you with your school work, and make sure no one bothers you here at school. Then one day, when you've slipped deep into his web and believe he cares for you, he'll come calling for payment. It could be anything, you won't know until he asks. Make no mistake Potter… Malfoy doesn't make friends. He makes investments."

Harry thought about his for a moment. He didn't really want to make friends with Draco at all. He was happy the way things were now. If what Blaise said was true, it sounded like Harry was right. He should stick to what he had. The cold, calculating person he was describing was something Harry had no experience with at all.

"Won't he feel... slighted if I move out?" Harry asked quietly, Blaise looked at him with a cold smile.

"Oh yes. If you aren't Malfoys ally, then you are his enemy. He is offering you more than most. If you turn him down, he won't just be slighted, you'd be slapping him in the face. He would make your life a living hell." Harry swallowed hard, a ball of ice forming in his stomach.

"But then why did you say I should mo-" Blaise interupted,

"Because, you're not clever Potter. I can see it in your dull little eyes. You are definitely not cunning enough to outsmart Malfoy. Your only choice, if you aren't interested in being dragged around on a leash, is to be stupid and move out."

Harry blinked at the insult, Blaise wasn't wrong. Harry knew he wasn't cunning or clever or even brave enough to handle this. His mind replayed the strange experience with the sorting hat the night before. It seemed like the hat had made a massive mistake. He didn't belong here, but he doubted if there were do overs. Even if there was, he wasn't in any rush to put the hat back on. Harry turned his attention back to Blaise.

"How do you know so much about the Malfoys?" Harry asked, and there it was… a slip. Blaise's poised bored look didn't falter, his eyes didn't flash or narrow. No, Harry felt it, an explosion of anger and hurt. Blaise had more history with Draco than he was ever going to admit to Harry.

"Everyone knows the Malfoys, Potter." He drawled lazily, even his voice refused to reveal the emotions that rolled off him in waves. Harry nodded and turned away. The sense of resentment was starting to scratch irritatingly at Harry's own emotions. Now he had seen the damage in Blaise and Draco's relationship, he knew he would take what Blaise said with a grain of salt. He wasn't positive Blaise had outright lied. Yet his experience with Dudley, who scared off anyone who might have been his friend, made him wary of Blaise's intentions. He wasn't sure he could put it past Blaise to try to ruin a relationship for Draco out of jealousy.

Harry flushed at the thought. What did Blaise have to be jealous of? Harry wasn't anything special or anything to be envious of. So what did that leave? Just Blaise telling the truth? Harry bit his lip and looked down at his hands. If it was true… it stung more than Harry imagined it would. He didn't even really want to be friends with Draco… so why did it hurt? He was pulled out of his thoughts as more first year students arrived. He spotted Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle standing across the room. Draco was watching him, just like Blaise, his expression was poised and unreadable. Yet shame spread through Harry's chest all the same. Lucian arrived before Harry could think about what to do next,

"When we head up to breakfast today Professor Snape will have your schedules. Once we get those, we will head back here so you can gather the books you need. I will escort you to each class for the first week, so pay attention. Do not lose our house any points on your first day. I cannot stress this enough. Losing points for our house is bad on any day but today is the worst day to do it.

"Now while Slytherin is not Ravenclaw, we still pride ourselves on our good marks. Do not goof off in class and speak up if you having trouble grasping anything. We have study groups you can join to get help and almost every teacher has some time during the week they set aside to help students who need it. Don't suffer just because your embarrassed. Any questions before we head down?" No one spoke up and Lucian nodded,

"Alright, let's go I am starving." He led them back out through the same wall from last night and up from the dungeons back towards the Great Hall. Harry had hoped, now it was the morning, he would be more alert and better able to remember the path out of the dungeons but it was a maze and Harry quickly lost track of the way back. His disappointment must have shown on his face because Draco, who he hadn't notice had moved so close, nudged him with his elbow lightly.

"Don't worry, I know the way." He said, Harry smiled at him slightly feeling even more wary than before. They reached the Great Hall and all sat together at the Slytherin table near the head table. Harry found himself feeling trapped between Draco and Goyle. The table was laden with food again but Harry, who wasn't accustom to eating more than one meal a day was still very full from last night. He didn't touch anything and his mind wandered while he waited for breakfast to finish. He was just worrying about being humiliated in each class and losing his house hundreds of points on the first day when Goyle placed an apple on his plate. He smiled at Goyle,

"Thank you, but I'm not hungry," He said,

"Save it for later." He said turning back to his own breakfast. Harry watched him for another moment, they were the first words Goyle had spoken to him. Harry didn't imagine he would be hungry again until dinner but took the apple and slipped it into his robe pocket. As breakfast came to a conclusion Professor Snape came down from the head table and started passing out schedules with the rest of the head of houses. The older man wasn't exactly sociable as he placed schedules down but when he made it to Harry, he slapped the schedule down with more force than anyone else's causing Harry to flinch harshly away from him.

Draco watched him and Harry shrank into himself looking at his schedule as Professor Snape kept going. A part of him had been hoping he had imagined the scathing look he had received last night but this reaction crushed the idea out of him. He felt tears prickle behind his eyes but he blinked them back. He berated himself at managing to upset the head of his house before his first day.

After everyone got their schedules, Lucian lead them back to the common room and the first years headed upstairs to gather their books. Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle all pulled out schoolbags and began collecting the parchment, ink, quills, and books they needed. Harry sat on his knees staring into his trunk. How could he have forgotten a schoolbag? He was such an idiot; class hadn't even started and he was already messing up. He wanted to smack himself for being so foolish.

"What's wrong?" Draco asked looking down at him his rucksack slung over his shoulder. Harry bit his lip hard and sighed softly.

"I don't have a schoolbag...I forgot to get one... I don't think it was on the list. Probably because it was so obvious..." He said keeping his head down, Draco retreated and Harry closed his eyes sure they were all going to leave him. He sighed again rubbing his forehead when something dropped into his lap. Harry looked down at it. It was another school bag just like the one Draco was carrying, but it was light brown instead of black. He looked up at Draco who was still waiting next to him.

"I brought a spare," He said dismissively, "Just in case I got tired of all the black. Now hurry up or we will get left behind." Harry looked down at the bag in his lap as his conversation with Zabini replayed in his head. He looked back up at Draco.

"What will it cost me?" he asked quietly. Draco looked taken back for a moment before his mask slid back into place.

"Who talked to you?" he asked, Harry didn't answer and Malfoy smirked slightly. "It doesn't matter, lets talk about it later we are going to be late. Use the bag or don't, your choice."

Harry nodded and started stuffing the things he needed inside it.

"Thank you." He said standing up as he finished. He slipped the bag up on his shoulders and followed Draco and Crabbe downstairs with Goyle coming down behind him. The rest of the first years were waiting and as they arrived Lucian led everyone back out of the dungeons to the Transfiguration class room. The Slytherins arrived long before the Ravenclaws they were sharing the class with.

"I'll be back here at the end of your class to lead you to Herbology, do no leave here without me." Lucian said, he waved as he walked away. "Have fun!"

Harry had been quite right to think Professor McGonagall wasn't a teacher to cross. Strict and clever, she gave them a talking-to the moment they had sat down in her first class.

"Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts," she said. "Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned." Then she changed her desk into a pig and back again. They were all very impressed and couldn't wait to get started, but soon realised they weren't going to be changing the furniture into animals for a long time. After making a lot of complicated notes, they were each given a match and started trying to turn it into a needle. By the end of the lesson, only a handful of students had made any difference to their matches. Draco was the only one of them to successfully manage turning his match into a needle, awarding Slytherin house 5 points.

Harry was disappointed that his match hadn't made any change but was relieved that he wasn't the only one. The Slytherins waited outside of Transfiguration for a few minutes before Lucian appeared again and led them outside to the greenhouse. Harry, who had spent a lot of time in his Aunt Petunia's garden, felt more at home with Herbology and really enjoyed Professor Sprout. She had a very calming presence. That along with the earthy and herby smells that filled the room, he found the whole class very soothing. They learned about some small fascinating fungi that glowed and Harry was feeling very relaxed as Lucian led them back to the Great Hall for lunch.

Harry sat at the table with the other first years, once again flanked by Draco and Goyle, enjoying their meals while he looked through his transfiguration book. He hoped to find some helpful hints for his match. Draco and Goyle were glancing at him every few minutes but Harry didn't notice.

"You haven't eaten anything." Draco said, Harry looked up at him confused and then looked at all the students eating lunch.

"Oh, I'm not hungry." He said before going back to his book.

"That's what you said at breakfast," the blonde boy replied after a moment. "Did you eat the apple from this morning?"

Harry pulled the apple from his robe pocket; he had completely forgotten about it. He really wasn't hungry, but he could tell his dorm mates were getting worried about his lack of appetite and he didn't want to stoke their curiosity. He bit into the apple and went back to his book. Draco must have been satisfied because he went back to his conversation with Nott. Harry finished his apple placing the core on his plate where it promptly disappeared. Lunch ended and Harry set his bag on the table slipping his book inside. Before he could close it Goyle slipped a second apple into the bag. Harry smiled up at him and closed the bag slipping it back up over his arms.

Lucian lead them to Defense Against the Dark Arts after lunch, this was a class Harry was looking forward to but Quirrell's lessons turned out to be a bit of a joke. His classroom smelled strongly of garlic, which everyone said was to ward off a vampire he'd met in Romania and was afraid would be coming back to get him one of these days. His turban, he told them, had been given to him by an African prince as a thank-you for getting rid of a troublesome zombie, but they weren't sure they believed this story. For one thing, when a Ravenclaw asked eagerly to hear how Quirrell had fought off the zombie, Quirrell went pink and started talking about the weather; for another, they had noticed that a funny smell hung around the turban, and Pansy insisted that it was stuffed full of garlic as well, so that Quirrell was protected wherever he went.

They left Defense Against the Dark Arts and headed back to the common room; Harry was glad classes were over. All the garlic in Professor Quirrell's classroom had left him with a wicked headache. He was also very relieved to find out that he wasn't miles behind everyone else. Quite a few of people had come from muggle families and, like him, hadn't had any idea that they were witches and wizards. Even those who had grown up in wizarding families seemed to be struggling as well. Crabbe and Goyle included.

Back in the common room the four of them headed to a table to work on the homework they were assigned. Harry tried to focus but his head was so achy he resigned to go up and take a nap before dinner.

"Don't worry," said Draco, "You'll have time to catch back up after dinner. I'll help you."

"Thanks," He said trying to smile but was sure it had come out as a grimace. He went upstairs and slipped off his shoes before slipping back through the drapes around his bed. He took the lid off the tank and Ezekiel slid out of it. He curled up on Harry's pillow, while the boy slipped the tank into one of the drawers under his bed. Harry crawled under his covers and laid his head on the snake.

"Whatsss wrong?" he asked quietly, Harry stroked the snakes head softly.

"mmm my head hurts." he replied closing his eyes,

"Did you drink any water today?" Ezekiel asked, and Harry shook his head no before dropping off into sleep.

Harry was startled out of sleep by a frightened shriek. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. They sky above him had grown dark and stars were starting to twinkle.

"Wha? What's wrong?" he asked groggily, he pushed the drapes all the way back and saw Crabbe and Goyle helping Draco to his feet. They were all staring past Harry and he turned back to see what they were looking at. Harry jumped up seeing Ezekiel just sitting there for everyone to see.

"Please don't tell on me!" he said falling to his knees in front of them, "Please Ezekiel is my best friend I can't lose him!" he said his hands clasped together in front of him. All three of them looked down at him stunned. Harry kept his head down but kept repeating, "please... please... please..." Goyle gripped him by his arm and gently pulled him back to his feet. Harry kept his head down, he didn't dare look at any of them in case he angered them.

"He's your friend?" Asked Draco curiously, and Harry nodded.

"_Ssseemsss like the jig isss up_," Ezekiel hissed softly, the three boys moved closer together.

"_Sorry Ezekiel... I should have been more careful_." He replied, he turned to back to the boys to beg them to keep his secret and they were all staring at him with wide eyes.

"You're a parselmouth?" Crabbe asked excitedly

"A what?" asked Harry confused,

"A parselmouth," said Draco, "someone who can speak parseltounge... the language of the snakes."

"Well we can understand each other but I don't speak any language but English." he replied.

"_Thatsss not true sssnakelet_." Ezekiel hissed, Harry turned back to him.

"_What do you mean_?" Harry asked,

"That right there," said Draco, "you're hissing to the snake, it's not English, we can't understand you."

"...You mean I'm speaking another language and I don't even know it?" Harry was frowning but Draco nodded thoughtfully.

"Most natural born parselmouths can't hear the difference until they learn about the language." Draco replied, "It's a really rare talent you have... But I would keep it to yourself."

"You mean you guys won't tell?" he asked, they all nodded and a breath of relief escaped the small boy.

"I mean it Harry." Draco said, "Don't tell anyone you can talk to snakes... people think it's a dark trait...it's not true but...I mean it might get you some brownie points with other pureblood families but don't trust them to keep your secret, just keep it to yourself ok?" Harry nodded smiling,

"Thank you so much guys." He said brightly,

"Don't worry about it." Draco said waving his hand lazily, "It's time for dinner, we should head to the Great Hall."

"Oh sorry, I didn't mean to sleep so long." He said rubbing his eyes again. Draco shook his head,

"It's ok, the others went on ahead of us but we should get going."

"Ok," Harry moved back to the bed and began to pull the tank out for Ezekiel but the snaked hissed irritably. "_What?"_

_"Not the tank, jussst the light."_ Ezekiel hissed, _"The tank isss too ssstuffy."_

_"The guy at the pet shop said you need it humid." _Harry responded his eyebrows drawing together.

_"He isss wrong, I do not like it."_

_"Ok," _Harry said he left the tank in the drawer, but stuck the lid to the wall above his pillow. He turned the heating lamp on for Ezekiel who curled up under it,

"Make sssure you drink sssome water hatchling," Harry nodded before closing the drapes around the bed again.

"What did he say?" asked Goyle curiously.

"He reminded me to drink water with dinner." He said. He followed the boys out of the room and down the stairs. Draco led them to the Great Hall without a problem. They all sat together at the Slytherin table and Harry picked out some foods he wanted to eat. He made sure to do as Ezekiel said and drank lots of water. He finished eating before the others and rested his chin on his hand, wishing he had brought a book.

"You didn't eat much," Draco said to him quietly, Harry looked over at him and shrugged.

"I'm full though," He replied and Draco nodded. Harry would have left for the common room on his own if he thought he could make it back but he knew he would get lost and wouldn't risk causing anyone the trouble. Harry's eyes wandered to the head table where Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick were chatting. Dumbledore was eating cheerfully having what appeared to be a one-way conversation with the Potions Master. When Harry's eyes grazed over Professor Snape, he was startled to see the man was staring hard at him. It wasn't the loathing hateful stare he had expected but a look of confusion and inner turmoil. When Professor Snape noticed Harry looking back at him the loathing and hate seemed to flow back instantly and Harry jerked putting his head down staring at his empty plate.

Lucian led the first years back to the common room after dinner and Draco pulled Harry up to their dorm room shooing Crabbe and Goyle off. He closed the door and dragged both their trunks near the window so they could sit across from each other. Harry sat on his trunk watching Draco, his hands clenched together.

"What did they tell you?" Draco asked, Harry bit his lip.

"They said you don't make friends, you're just going to use me when **I think** we are friends. Everything you do is to make me owe you." Harry said looking down. "They said I should move out of this room but if I do you'll be angry and you'll make my life hell." Draco was silent for a moment and the nodded,

"They aren't wrong about most of it. The friendships I form always have underlining reasons. That doesn't mean they are bad. I am a Malfoy, coming from a muggle family I know that doesn't mean anything to you, but in this world my name carries a lot of influence. I'm my family's sole heir so when my father passes I will take over our family, the fortune, the businesses, so on and so forth. That means I, like you will, have people who want to be my friends just because of my status. Because of my name. My father has taught me to make sure that I get as much out of a friendship as the other person is getting. Take Crabbe and Goyle for instance. Growing up as my friend will give them influences that will land them their dream jobs, or just get them in with the right people for their futures. What do I get out of it? They watch my back in school yes, but in the future I will have two people I know I can rely on in the positions I helped them achieve. It's a give and take that both sides are happy with.

"Then you have people like Zabini, who I suspect is the one who talked to you." Harry flushed and Draco smirked, "Zabini wants to be in my inner circle so he can benefit off of my name. He wants the same things Crabbe and Goyle have, but Zabini's family is one that could potentially damage my family's name. His mother is a known black widow, she killed her husbands for their money. Money she then blows through. My family has money, a plus for them, and the influence to keep her out of Azkaban prison if she's ever caught. Their family has bad publicity, something my family can't really afford. So I have no reason to form a relationship with Zabini. He's a bit put out about it.

"Then there is you. Harry, you're not like the other people. Your name has plenty of pull, I know the Potter's had their own fortune, and you're famous." Harry frowned,

"…but you have all of that too… so what could I offer you?" he asked, Draco looked uncomfortable, his eyes drifting away from Harry.

"As a Malfoy, and a Slytherin, I should not be admitting this to you. I want your word this conversation will never leave this room." Harry nodded vigorously,

"I swear," Harry said. Draco's steely gray eyes searched Harrys for a moment before he gave a short nod.

"This is the incredibly rare instance that you have more to offer than I do. My family suffered in the war. You-know-who, knowing my family's influence, sought out to use my father for his cause. He-"

"Wait," Harry said, "I don't mean to interrupt but… I don't know who…" Draco blinked at him for a moment,

"What?"

"You said _You-Know-Who_….but I don't know who you're talking about." Harry said frowning. Draco stared at him for a few more moments opening and closing his mouth.

"You-Know-Who? He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named? The Dark Lord?" Draco asked slowly waiting for Harry to react to each name, Harry just shook his head, "You know… the guy you destroyed when you were a baby?"

"Oh…Voldemort?" Harry asked and Draco flinched staring at him with wide eyes. "What?"

"You… you can't just say his name…" Draco said breathlessly.

"Why not?" Harry asked confused,

"Y-you just can't Harry! Don't ever say that name again." Draco said. There it was again, the sensation of feeling someone else's emotions. Harry could feel Draco's fear. He was scared, something deep and cold that made the hairs on the back of Harrys' neck stand up. Harry didn't understand why he was so afraid of a name, but nodded in agreement all the same. Draco took some deep breathes still frowning at Harry.

"Anyways…"Draco's calm mask slid back into place. "When he was in power, he cursed my father and forced him to be his supporter. After you killed him, my father was freed from the curse. He was found not guilty of being a supporter of You-Know-Who… but the stain on our name remains. A lot of people think he paid his way out of trouble. It's not true…" he was quiet for a moment looking down at the ground.

"If we were friends, people would see my family in a better light. It would help restore our family name to have connections with Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived, the one who defeated You-Know-Who. It might help erase that stain…" Draco sighed and ran a hand through his hair messing it up a bit. "Blaise wasn't wrong Harry, I was just going to kind of… make you be my friend with out giving you a say… I am not used to being on this side of the conversation… I can only hope you will be willing to try. If you don't want to you can move out, I promise there will be no retaliation on my side."

Harry was quiet. He wasn't sure what to say really. Harry had little experience with friends and even less with what Draco was suggesting. He was surprised with Malfoy. He was the same age as Harry, but he had a very clear understanding of his place in the world. He understood how the world worked in a way Harry wasn't sure he would ever see. Still Harry had learned enough in the last day to be suspicious. Too many people around him were wearing masks.

Draco appeared to be showing his hand, but the back of his mind was nagging at him. He wasn't telling the whole truth just like Blaise hadn't. Worse, unlike Malfoy, Harry didn't know where he belonged in the world. He didn't know his worth or the worth of his family name. Draco refused to build a relationship with Blaise because he understood it could damage him. Harry wasn't sure that didn't apply to him forming a relationship with Draco. At the same time, closing the door on Draco could burn a bridge he may need in the future. One he may not be able to repair, and yet Blaise wasn't wrong… He was not clever enough to outwit Draco if he was playing him. The raven haired boy sighed rubbing his forehead with his hand, all these politics were giving him a headache. He looked up at the blonde sitting across from him. He was waiting patiently for Harry to sort through this on his own, but it didn't matter. He could give Harry weeks to think it through and he knew his mind would just play the 'what if?' game until he was mental.

"I feel like… well it feels like you are my Blaise…" Harry said, "I may not totally understand them… but there are risks to me for being your friend, isn't there?" Draco watched him thoughtfully for a moment and then nodded.

"Yes. But, unlike Blaise, I can offer you plenty still to convince you to take that risk." Draco said, Harry frowned.

"Like what?" he asked,

"You aren't a Slytherin Harry, you don't belong in this house." The blonde replied bluntly. Harry winced a little, he was starting to see that more clearly. Still, hearing Malfoy say it stung more than he would have liked. "There are others in this house that will take advantage of you for their own goals and purposes."

"Like yourself." Harry said and the other boy smirked.

"Yes, I'm not denying that… but you need someone to help make sure you aren't being manipulated and used. Someone to ward off some of the darker students in the house. After our lessons today I can also tell you will be needing help with your studies." Harry flushed looking away, "Crabbe, Goyle, and I can help you. All you have to do is stick with us."

Harry wished he had someone much smarter than himself to talk to. Someone older… an adult… Someone who could maybe navigate this minefield better than himself. He thought of Ezekiel, but Ezekiel was a snake. What could he really know about human relationships?

"Can I have a few days to think it over? I won't move out… I just want to make sure I don't make a mistake." Harry said, he didn't look at Draco. He couldn't. He was acting way braver that he felt.

"Ok, but let me use those days to show you what a friendship between us could look like. You'll be here anyways." Harry finally looked at the blonde opposite of him and nodded.

"Okay." He said, Draco stood up and held out a hand to Harry. He looked at it for a moment before taking it and allowing Malfoy to pull him to his feet.

"Lets get started on your school work."

Draco led him back to the common room. They joined Crabbe and Goyle at their table. Harry pulled out his Transfiguration homework while Draco moved on to Defense Against the Dark Arts and Crabbe and Goyle continued working on Herbology. They worked quietly with Crabbe and Goyle asking Draco the occasional clarifying question. The trio worked seamlessly, like they had done this for years and Harry was feeling slightly left out. It was clear they were doing their best to bring Harry into their group already and Harry was suspicious and thankful at the same time. Yet he couldn't help wondering what would have happened if he had grown up in the wizarding world.

Harry was still very thankful his aunt and uncle took him in, but he wondered what it would have been like to be kids with Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle as his friends. Harrys mind wandered back to meeting Draco in Diagon Alley when he had spoken so casually about his family. He imagined what it would have been like if they had been there together knowing their parents were waiting to take them to get their wands.

"Harry?" Draco's voice cut through his daydream and Harry jumped sitting up straight looking at him. His cheeks went a little pink and Draco gave him a questioning look.

"Sorry I was daydreaming," he said before going back to his homework, he had moved on to Herbology and was almost finished.

"Ok finish up that essay and we can head to bed." He said still watching him.

"mmm but I haven't started my Defense essay," Harry replied checking his book,

"It's ok we have some free time tomorrow, we don't have an afternoon class. I'll get you all caught up, don't worry." Draco was placing his finished essays and books back into his bag. Harry nodded and finished his essay letting the ink dry before he rolled it up putting it in his bag. Crabbe and Goyle were doing the same with their unfinished Defense essays. Draco led the way upstairs and Harry was rubbing his eyes on the way up.

In their room they all busied themselves with getting ready for bed. Crabbe and Draco were using the showers and Goyle was brushing his teeth but Harry was sitting on his bed chatting with Ezekiel.

"_I'm already falling behind, I'm an idiot. I should never have taken that nap._" He said dismally,

"_You needed sssleep,_" Ezekiel replied, "_You alssso didn't drink any water, you have to take better care of yourssself hatchling."_ Harry nodded,

_"I know, the other are already noticing my lack of appetite at the table. If I don't get ahead of this there will be questions, I can't answer._" He replied rubbing his forehead irritably.

"_Thatsss not exactly what I meant._" The snake said. "_You ssshould be eating more to take care of yourssself not to hide from quessstionsss._" Harry nodded again,

"_Sorry_," Ezekiel bumped noses with him and Harry smiled,

"_You have nothing to be sssorry for_," Ezekiel said nuzzling his cheek, "_You're not usssed to having the ability to take care of yourssself. I encourage you to think more about it. When you feel full eat jussst a little more. Make sssure you drink plenty of water through the day and when you are here with me, I will help you sssleep." Harry's smile widened and he laughed softly,_

"_You sound like a mother_," He said laughing, the emerald snake gave off a strange noise that Harry realised was laughter.

"_If thatsss what it takesss, I will be mother._" Ezekiel replied as the other boys re-enter the room. Harry set Ezekiel back on the bed where he quickly curled up under his heating lamp and headed to the bathroom to get ready for bed. When he came back 20 minutes later the other boys already had the curtains closed around their beds and Crabbe was snoring. Harry climbed into bed with Ezekiel and was asleep as soon as he turned off the heating lamp.

** _A/N I hope you guys enjoyed it. Please leave me a review if you get the chance! _ **

** _Lune-Bleue22 – Thank you so much for your review! I can't tell you about the sorting hat incident yet but I hope you'll enjoy it when it happens. I think this chapter definitely answered your question about the snake. Next chapter will have Harry's first potions class so we will see more of Snape. I am definitely going to be building up more on Crabbe and Goyle. They are in the background right now because Draco and Harry aren't fully friends yet but you can hopefully already see a little more of them._ **


	7. Chapter Seven

** _A/N: Chapter 7 is here! I hope you guys enjoy it! Thanks Dumbledore-The-Phoenix and Lune-Bleue22 for commenting! I always appreciate your reviews! I don't own anything._ **

Harry woke up as the sky above him lightened, he sat up and stretched. He hadn't really thought about it but Harry noticed that he was sleeping far better than he had before Ezekiel. He used to be riddled with nightmares and usually functioned off only a few hours of sleep a night. With Ezekiel he had slept full nights and couldn't remember the last time he had had a nightmare. He was wondering if Ezekiel really was helping him sleep as he had suggested the night before and turned to ask the snake, but could tell he was still asleep. Harry smiled and turned the heating lamp on going to the bathroom to change into his uniform.

Draco was already up and fully dressed messing with his appearance in the mirror. Draco's eyes slid over to him as he entered,

"Good morning Draco," He said heading to one of the stalls on the right to change.

"Good morning," He replied, Harry finished getting ready faster than the others and sat on the bed waiting. They had double potions with Gryffindor this morning. Harry had to admit he was excited for his first potions class; it was one of the classes he felt he might succeed in. He was hoping he would pick up on potions better than some of his other classes. He absent mindedly stroked Ezekiel's head as he snoozed. If he had been awake, he might have asked him to come. Harry was still scared of the Potion Master, his glares reminded him a bit of his Uncle Vernon and he knew Ezekiel would help keep him calm.

Nevertheless, Harry left the dormitory without Ezekiel, following the boys down to Lucian and out to the Great Hall. At breakfast Harry did as Ezekiel had asked, even though he wasn't hungry he ate some eggs and toast for breakfast and a cup of water. His roommates seemed pleased with his change in appetite and continued their own conversations. They followed Lucian down to the dungeons and were waiting outside when the Gryffindors started joining them one and two at a time. They had shared their classes yesterday with Ravenclaw and it had gone mostly without incident but he could already tell today would not be the same. The atmosphere was tense between the two houses, a few students of both houses were whispering amongst themselves and snickering. Harry rubbed his temples as irritation pricked at them under the strained atmosphere the two groups were giving off.

Professor Snape yanked the door open and sneered at the Gryffindors.

"Quite your childish gossiping and take your seats." He said sternly. The Gryffindors scurried in and a few Slytherins laughed following behind them. The two houses split immediately, each claiming one of the room. Draco led him and the others to the table at the front and the rest of the Slytherins filled the tables behind them.

The Potion Master made his way briskly to the front of the room his cloak billowing behind him.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making," he began. He spoke in barely more than a whisper, but they caught every word – like Professor McGonagall, Snape had the gift of keeping a class silent without effort. "As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses ... I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death – if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

More silence followed this little speech. Harry kept his eyes on the table but he could see Draco looking excited out of the corner of his eye.

"Potter!" said Snape suddenly and Harry's head snapped up. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" Harry blinked for a moment trying to remember his reading, but his thoughts were moving too quickly. This was it! This was his chance to show his Head of House that he was a good student. A chance to start off on the right… er better foot.

"I'm waiting," The Potion Master said sneering,

"…Um a sleeping potion sir?" Harry said uncertainty, the professor raised an eyebrow in response.

"Are you asking me? Or are you telling me?" The man asked as he stared down at him.

"T-telling sir." Harry managed to choke out. He wasn't getting any emotional reading off of Professor Snape but there was an elevated sense of pressure in the room all the same. It bore down on him making it hard to talk.

"There are many sleeping potions in the world Mr. Potter. Give me the specific name." The Potions Master crossed his arms still staring down at him his eyes piercing him, though his sneer had faded. Harry could feel the eyes of the whole class on him. The pressure was building as Harry's mind groped for an answer he knew he had. He felt his face flush as the silence seemed to drag on forever. The harder Harry tried to snag the answer, the further it seemed to move from his reach.

"The Draught of the Living Dead." Malfoy said from his left. Harry's eyes closed and a breath he hadn't known he was holding escaped his lips in a rush. He wasn't sure if he was glad or ashamed Malfoy had answered his question for him. He took in a breath of relief as he felt the professors eyes move away from him and some of the pressure began to fade.

"Correct Mr. Malfoy, but this was not your question to answer." He said his eyes sliding back to Harry. "Let's try another, shall we?" Harry clenched his hands into fists to stop them from shaking as the pressure turned back on. "Where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"

He knew this, he knew he did, but the pressure was growing and it was scrambling his brain. He couldn't reach the answer he desperately needed. The pressure persisted, he was trying to ignore it but before he could really stop himself he faced it. His eyes slipped closed and his face scrunched up as he delved into the overwhelming sensation. Slowly his mind started to pick it apart. Anger, contempt, anxiety, nerves, pity, boredom, confusion. He was doing it again, he could feel everyone's emotions. Unfortunately unlike the day at the feast when everyone's emotions had been similar causing Harry to feel a heightened state of calm or anxiety, everyone's feeling were different creating a ball of pressure that felt so incredibly physical Harry was sure his ears would pop. A sense of panic cut through the pressure and Harry knew this was his own.

"Please! Just stop thinking so I can think!" He shouted suddenly. Just as quickly the ball of pressure faded and became a collective sense of confusion. A sigh of relief as he brain began to function normally again. "The stomach of a goat sir, that's where you find a bezoar." His eyes opened again. Professor Snape was staring down at him still but his eyes were not as sharp as before.

"Correct, five points to Slytherin." He said and Harry smiled brightly, "And five points from Slytherin for raising your voice in my class, Mr. Potter. Don't ever do it again." Harrys smile fell and the professor smirked before moving back to the front of the class. "Today you will work on your own so I can assess each individuals knowledge of potion making. We will be working today on the first potion in the book." His wand tapped on the black board and the ingredients and steps for a boil cure potion appeared.

"You will have till the end of class to present me with a vial of your completed potion. Begin."

Harry was enjoying the work but couldn't help shrinking back as the professor swept around in his long black cloak. He was watching them weigh dried nettles and crush snake fangs, criticizing almost everyone. Harry thought he was following the instructions to a T. But he was beginning to notice that, well …nothing was happening. Draco's potion was liquid and the light blue it should be after adding the porcupine quills. Goyle's was a hunter green that wasn't in the instructions and a bit sludgy. But Harry's look like he'd thrown a bunch of ingredients into a pot. None of the ingredients were melding or reacting to each other at all. They were just sitting there, cooking. Harry was staring at his concoction when the Potions Master stopped next to him. Harry looked up and saw the man frowning at his cauldron. His eyes slid to Harry for a moment before he walked away.

Harry filled his vial at the end of class miserably. He reluctantly wrote his name on the murky potion with little bits floating around, and waited until everyone else had brought their sample to the front before he took his. He tried to hide it among the various shades of potions. No ones potion looked like his. He could feel Professor Snape's eyes on him but he didn't meet his gaze. He was too ashamed at his failure in potions, the one subject he had really hoped to succeed in. Worse it was the subject his Head of House taught, getting on his good side now seemed impossible.

Lucian led them to the Great Hall for lunch. They sat together and loaded up their plates, but Harry was too depressed to eat. He wasn't sure if his roommates knew why he was upset or just understood that he was feeling down, but no one mentioned his lack of appetite. He did catch Goyle slipping something into his bag out of the corner of his eye. He smiled, he couldn't help himself. He liked Goyle, he really did. If he ended up not being friends with Draco, he really hoped he could find a way to stay friends with Goyle. He was a little scary at first but he was kind, something the raven-haired boy needed in his life.

After lunch they went back to the common room for the afternoon. Draco did as he promised and got Harry all caught up from the day before and they worked together on their potions homework. Harry spent a long time reading his potions book even after they finished their essays but couldn't find anything that explained what happened to his potion. They were sitting in their room, Crabbe and Goyle had moved their trunks near the window and were playing something called 'exploding snap' and Malfoy was sitting on his bed reading over everyone's essays. Ezekiel was wrapped around Harry who was sitting on his own bed getting frustrated with the lack of answers in his book.

_"What isss wrong hatchling?"_ The snake hissed softly, his head resting on Harry's shoulder.

_"My potion was a failure and I have no idea why. The book mentions what can cause some mishaps, like I know Goyles was lumpy and green because he added way to much crushed snake fang way too fast, but it doesn't mention anything like mine. I followed all the steps, I know I did…"_ Harry sighed rubbing his forehead.

_"Did you asssk your professsssor what may have causssed the problem?" _Ezekiel asked, Harry shook his head no.

_"I was too embarrassed." _He sighed, _"No one else made the mistake that I did. It has to be something so simple they didn't even bother putting it in the book."_

_"You do not know that,"_ the snake replied, _"You ssshould asssk your teacher. He isss the teacher for a reassson."_

_"He scares me… a little. What if it is simple and he gets upset I wasted his time." _He shook his head, _"No I need to figure this out on my own first, or at least attempt to."_

Harry didn't wait for the snake to respond, he turned to Draco, and was a little startled to find the blonde already watching him. Crabbe and Goyle we're watching him too.

"Er… is everything ok?" he asked frowning. Crabbe and Goyle turned away but Draco continued watching him.

"Yes, it's just interesting, watching you and Ezekiel converse. None of us have heard parseltongue before." The blonde responded, Harry flushed lightly. "Did you need something?"

"Ah, yeah… is there a library here?" he asked,

"Of course, it's a school, but why do you need the library? We just finished all our homework." Draco countered,

"Er, I'd rather not say. There is something I want to research on my own first." he said

"Is it about what happened in potions today?" Draco asked, Harry blinked at him. He had hoped no one else had noticed.

"What happened in potions?"

"When you yelled at everyone to stop thinking so you could think?" Draco replied,

"Oh… right. No it's not about that, but maybe I could look into that too." He said flushing again, after his potion fiasco he had totally forgotten about the pressure and his resulting outburst. He really did need to figure out why he was feeling other people's emotions before it caused him more problems.

"I can help, if you explain a bit about what you meant." The blonde was watching him, his eyes searching. Suspicion flicked in his mind like a sharp snap. Telling Draco could be dangerous. They had not fully come to an agreement about their friendship. If it didn't work out, anything he told him could be used against him in the future. At the same time, Draco grew up in the wizarding world. He could know exactly what he was looking for.

"I think I would like to keep this to myself for now. But thank you for your offer." He said carefully. Malfoys eyes hardened, only a little, but he nodded. The physical reaction to Harry's refusal was small but the emotional side was larger. He could feel his disappointment, there was something more underneath but Harry couldn't quite name it. Something closer to fear than anger. This little tidbit was more interesting and Harry wanted to examine it further but before he could Draco took a deep breath and got up stretching. The feelings faded away like sand slipping through his fingers,

"Let's go then." He said and left the room with Crabbe and Goyle following quickly behind. Harry gave Ezekiel a moment to tuck his head into his shirt as he grabbed his bag before following the others.

Harry had spent a lot of time in his previous schools library, it had been his favorite place at school. The one place Dudley wouldn't come near. The librarian was a nice lady named Emily, she always had a new book for Harry to read. He never took any of them home, he didn't want to risk anyone damaging them. He had always been scared he would turn her away from him too if he ever messed up a book. She always praised him for being careful and held books he was reading so others couldn't check them out until he finished them.

This library was nothing like his library. It was massive, the walls were covered in shelves of books. The walls went up beyond where his eyes could see and he couldn't help but wonder if it ever ended. The middle of the room held lots of tables and chairs with students scattered around them working on their own things. Each table had glow over it that didn't really seem to be coming from anywhere. Different tables had different levels of light. Harry made his way along the wall looking at all the books. He stood behind an older boy, who was standing in front of a podium with a large old book on it and a quill sitting in an inkpot. He had seen several of these posted around the room. The boy opened the book to what looked like a random page and began writing in it.

"You can't…" Harry gasped, the boy looked back at him curiously. It was Oliver.

"Harry," he whispered smiling, he turned to fully face the younger boy. Harry was distracted looking past him. The bookshelves were moving. The one on the ground had slid underground causing all the bookshelves to move down. Each bookshelf followed the first underground until one stopped. Oliver glanced back behind him,

"It's how you search for books," he moved aside so Harry could move closer. Harry looked down at the book and frowned not seeing any ink.

"I thought I saw…" he frowned,

"You did, I wrote in the book." Oliver responded smiling "You can write a few keywords to find a book to help you with what your looking for or you can write a specific title. Once you do the bookshelves will move bringing what you need. Once your search is done the book clears itself, I think the ink goes back into the pot because I have never seen Madam Pince fill or replace them." He moved to the bookshelf browsing some of the titles.

"So, how has everything been?" he asked picking one of the books flipping through it. Harry didn't answer right away. The day on the train felt so long ago now. He knew it had only been two days but a lot had happened already.

"That good?" Oliver snorted, Harry smiled slightly.

"It hasn't been all bad, I just… I feel like maybe the sorting hat made a mistake putting me in Slytherin." Oliver slipped the book back on the shelf turning his full attention to Harry. Harry actually felt a little better admitting it to Oliver. It felt nice to talk to someone that he didn't have to wonder if he could trust.

"Stay here," he turned back to one of the tables grabbing his bag. Harry turned to look for Draco and saw him sitting across the room at another table. He was watching Harry, his mask back in place. Oliver slipped back into his line of view blocking out Draco. "Come on, let's go talk."

"But my friends…" Harry closed his mouth suddenly, were they friends? Oliver stood waiting at the entrance to the library. He looked back at Draco, but he wasn't watching him anymore. He nodded to himself and followed Oliver out of the library. Oliver led him to a small alcove in the wall not far away. It was hidden behind an old dusty tapestry. Oliver held the tapestry aside for Harry to step inside. There was a stone bench running along the curve in the wall. Harry sat on one side and Oliver sat on the other. As the tapestry swung back over the entrance two torches above them flickered to life.

"Ok, tell me all about it." Oliver said settling against the stone wall. Harry bit his lip looking down at his hands.

"I dunno, it just feels like I don't belong…" he mumbled,

"Is someone bullying you?" Oliver asked, he sat forward looking worried. A warm sensation spread through his chest. He couldn't quite name it, but it was pleasant. Seeing Oliver's concern made him feel happy. He shook his head,

"No, not exactly. I mean Blaise wasn't especially nice, but I don't think his intent was to be hurtful. He warned me to stay away from Draco Malfoy, and Draco wants to be friends. I haven't had much interaction with anyone else in my house because they are always with me." Oliver nodded,

"Lucian told me about Malfoy's interest in you." He said, "I understand your concern, the son of a Death Eater isn't what most people would call good company." Harry frowned,

"What's a Death Eater?" Harry asked curiously,

"One of You-Know-Who's henchmen, people who use to do his dirty work for him." He answered, "Malfoy didn't tell you?"

"He told me that his father was cursed and forced to do those things. He says he was found innocent but some people don't believe it." Oliver snorted loudly looking amused.

"No one believes that Harry. The Malfoy's have always been blood purists, long before You-Know-Who ever came into power. Make no mistake Harry, Lucius Malfoy was a death eater. He killed and tortured muggles, muggleborns, and 'blood traitors'… people they believed were too soft on muggles and muggleborns."

"They sound like Nazis." Harry said, Oliver nodded again.

"There's many similarities. I don't know how much Malfoy senior has told junior, so I can't tell you he's outright lying to you. There is a chance Malfoy has been told and believes this lie, but it is a lie." Harry sighed rubbing his forehead.

"So there is a lot of risk in me being friends with him. Just to make his family look a little better?" Harry's said exasperated, Oliver looked thoughtful for a moment.

"I see, so Malfoy told you that he wants to be friends to fix this stain on his family name?" Oliver asked, Harry nodded.

"Yeah exactly. He told me about how much thought goes into the relationships he forms and that he won't form relationships with people he thinks will further damage his family name. Now I'm finding out he wants me to do exactly that for him." Harry huffed, even further irritated by the sorting hats choice.

"That's tough. You can't blame a boy for the mistakes of his father, but I would be genuinely shocked to find out that Malfoy isn't a blood purist. That would be like being raised by a racist, and not being racist before you've been exposed to a different way of life. I don't really know anything about Draco honestly, our families run in different circles. If you pursue a friendship with him, you would always have to be in control. You also can't let Malfoy be your only friend. People would see it as you becoming darker rather than him becoming lighter. You would have to make friends with muggleborns and blood traitors and push him to interact with them." Harry looked horrified,

"I barely want to be friends with him, I can't keep making friends just to make him look good. That sounds utterly exhausting." Harry said, his eyebrows drawn together. Oliver chuckled.

"I am going to be completely honest with you. You are the-boy-who-lived Harry, people expect you to be popular and friends with many people. People are a bit scandalized about you being in Slytherin. I think it's great, I think it gives you a chance to shed some light on the house of snakes. Show people that it's not evil. Others are viewing it differently, some people think it means you've got a dark streak in you." Oliver said shaking his head, "No ones name is unstainable in the wizarding world Harry, not even yours." Harry sighed rubbing his head again. He felt Ezekiel tighten around his chest comforting him.

"I thought this would be fun, mostly it's just been a headache." He grumbled and Oliver laughed,

"I promise you the magic is worth all the annoying politics." Oliver said, Harry swallowed looking away from Oliver. He didn't want to admit it to Oliver, but he was worried he couldn't actually do magic. He couldn't transfigure his match or make a potion. The raven haired boy was still ready to search the library top to bottom to find out what happened to his potion but deep inside, he knew. Now he was just waiting for someone to realize that there had been a mistake. Soon it was going to be caught and he would be sent back to the Dursleys. The mere idea caused a hurricane of panic in his chest and the panic made him feel shame for being ungrateful.

"I hate this," he said. Before Oliver could respond the tapestry was yanked open and Professor Snape was glowering down at them. The glowering bit only lasted a second as he recognized the two people in the alcove. Harry watched his face turn neutral but couldn't help but feel like the professor might have felt a touch of panic too. Then again Harry was already feeling so much of it he couldn't really say it wasn't wishful thinking. There was a long moment of silence before the professor spoke.

"Please convince me you're not snogging him, that's a lot of paperwork and concern Wood." Snape said after a long moment of silence, Oliver jumped up immediately looking flushed.

"Of course not Professor! I would never!" Oliver replied angrily, the glowering returned in full force.

"Watch your tone, Wood." He snarled crossing his arms. "Why do you have an eleven year old child in an alcove used for snogging?" Harry frowned, he didn't like being called a child.

"It's not just used for snogging," Oliver replied gritting his teeth, "We just wanted to have some privacy while we talked, sir."

"What does a fifth year have to talk about with a first year that requires so much secrecy?" Snape asked, one eyebrow raised.

"He's Harry Potter and he's in Slytherin. Do you really have to ask, sir?" Oliver replied in a huff,

"Return to your common room Mr. Wood, before you find yourself in detention for that attitude." Snape snapped,

Oliver sighed but turned and grabbed his bag and Harry's arm pulling him out of the alcove. Harry did his best not to shrink back from Oliver's touch.

"No, Potter stays." Snape said and Oliver stopped and turned back to the professor. He sighed then reached into his rucksack and pulled out a piece of parchment. Snape watched them closely

"Hold on to that I'll send you a message later." He said smiling before turning and leaving. Harry held the parchment and did his best to stop it shaking as he turned back to his Head of House.

"Come here Mr. Potter." He said and held his hand out for the parchment. Harry took a few shaky steps closer to the professor and handed him the parchment. Snape looked it over, it was blank. "Chat charm," he said quietly. He looked down at Harry, he wasn't glowering anymore or looking at him hatefully. He looked like any normal stern professor.

"I cannot express to you how much I do not want to get involved in this, but I am your Head of House Potter. If Wood is taking advantage of you or pressuring you to do something you're not comfortable with, you can tell me." He said, his face was unreadable but Harry could still sense his discomfort.

"It's not like that Professor, I promise. He is just a friend." Harry said earnestly. He hadn't really thought being friends with Oliver was going to cause such a problem. Professor Snape handed him the parchment back nodding.

"Return to the common room Mr. Potter" He said,

"I was hoping to go back to the library, sir." Harry said,

"The library?" Snape asked, watching him suspiciously "What for?"

"I…" Harry flushed, Potions Master or not Harry didn't want to admit his failure outright to him.

"Your potion," Snape said knowingly. Harry put his head down and flushed with embarrassment. "You aren't going to find the answer in a potions book Potter. Don't go looking for the answer on your own either. While I understand your need to know what went wrong, I prefer you wait until your second potions class before we worry about it. If it happens again, then there will be a conversation."

Harry wasn't sure if that was suppose to comfort him but it didn't, if anything it made him more panicky. There would be a formal conversation if he failed again.

"It's nearly dinner time, head to the Great Hall Potter." Snape said turning from him as he stalked away, his cloak billowing behind him. Harry sighed rubbing Ezekiel through his shirt.

"_A conversation Ezekiel…" _he mumbled under his breath. Ezekiel didn't respond he just moved to rest his head on Harry's shoulder.

** _A/N: I hope you enjoyed it! If you have a moment please leave me a review and let me know what you thought._ **


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